Joan Dolores Robitaille, 89, of Methuen, died Saturday September 9th at her home, surrounded by loving family.
Joan was born July 19, 1928, in Hartford CT to James and Agnes Kiley. She earned her Diploma in Nursing from Mass General, one of five sisters to do so. Joan served as a 2nd Lt in the Army Air Corps as a nurse, stationed in Alamogordo, NM. She married her husband, Roger Robitaille, in 1951 and settled in Connecticut before moving to Salem, New Hampshire to raise their family. Joan received her Masters degree in Social Work in 1989 to pursue her true calling, mental health. She retired in 2009 at the age of 81. Joan enjoyed traveling with her family, especially her sisters and daughter. She also enjoyed the opera and ballet. Never without a pet or three, she loved animals. But her true passion was her 12 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
Joan is survived by her children; James and his partner Paula of Springfield, MA, Roger and his wife LouAnne of Newton, NH, Suzanne Gann of Methuen, MA, Jeffery and his wife Kathleen of Milford, MA, Renee of Methuen MA, and Eleanor of Londonderry NH; her sisters Margaret Strong of Warren, RI, Charlene McAllister of Laconia, NH, Joyce Crawford of East Hartford, CT, and Jane Sturgess and her husband Rush of San Francisco, CA; her grandchildren Jeremy and his wife Kara, Jordan and Simon, Jarred and his wife Stephanie, Ryan, Jason and his wife Sheila, Adam and his wife Meagen, Erin, James, Jamily, Lisa, and Laura; and her great grandchildren Lucy, Jason, Greyson, Sophia, Hunter, Jackson, Reagan, Nova, and soon to be baby girl. In addition to her husband and parents, she was pre-deceased by her son-in-law Blaine Gann.
Visiting hours for Joan will be held on Tuesday, September 12, 2017 4 -8 PM at the Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home, 233 Lawrence Street, Methuen. Friends and family are cordially invited to attend. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at 11AM at Our Lady of Good Counsel / St Theresa's Parish, 22 Plymouth St, Methuen. Interment will follow at Elmwood Cemetery, 130 N. Lowell St, Methuen. To leave an online condolence, please visit www.pollardfuneralhome.com. The Kenneth H. Pollard Funeral Home is proud to serve the Robitaille family.