SPRINGFIELD – Joan A. “Skip” (McCarthy) Diaz, 77, of the East Forest Park section of Springfield was Called Safely Home on Thursday, February 21, 2013. She passed into Eternal Life at Redstone Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in East Longmeadow surrounded by the care and comfort of her loving family and her wonderful caregivers. She was born in Ludlow on August 26, 1935, a beloved daughter of the late Robert W. and Lydia (Karpinski) McCarthy. At a young age, her parents moved to Springfield where she was raised and attended local schools. She then lived in the North End section of the city, Chestnut Towers, and later in the East Forest Park section of the city for the remainder of her life. At the young age of 14, she began working at the MSPCA which was then located on Bliss Street in Springfield. They later moved to a new building on Union Street where she was the longtime receptionist and office manager before retiring in 2000. She was a loving woman who adored her family and showered them with her love and affection which was returned to her a thousand fold. She leaves her beloved son and daughter-in-law, Ronald G. and Jeanne McCarthy, of East Longmeadow; her loving daughter and son-in-law, Christine A. and Wayne Higgins, of Worthington; her three cherished grandchildren, Dennis J. Roche and his wife, Tara, Nykole Roche and her husband, Adam Corriveau, and Ashley McCarthy and her husband, Felix Ramirez; her six cherished great-grandchildren, Nikolas and Sophia Roche, Ruby, Desmond and Vivienne Corriveau-Roche and Stry Ramirez-McCarthy; her loving sister and brother-in-law, Gail and Jack Morini, of Springfield; her brother, Robert McCarthy of Virginia; her dear nephews and nieces; and her many faithful feline companions. Besides her parents, she was also predeceased by her dear former husband, Ronald G. Diaz, who was Called Home on June 17, 1985; and her loving niece, Diane Letendre who was Called Home on December 27, 1993. Her funeral will be held on Tuesday morning, February 26, 2013, beginning at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Springfield Chapels, (413-737-1177), 7 Chapin Terrace, Springfield, MA 01107 (funeral home will open at 8:30 a.m.), followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in Sacred Heart Church, 395 Chestnut Street, Springfield, MA 01104. Her burial will follow the Mass at Hillcrest Park Cemetery, 895 Parker Street, Springfield, MA 01129. Her family will receive friends at the funeral home on Monday, February 25, 2013 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Because of her love of animals, her family has requested that memorial donations be made in her memory to the Thomas J. O’Connor Foundation, 627 Cottage Street, Springfield, MA 01104. For more details, please visit:stpierrephaneuf.com