MAGNOLIA: Joan A. (Murphy) Colby, 86, died Wednesday evening, March 19, 2014, at the Rosewood Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Peabody. She was the wife of the late Arthur F. Colby, who died in September of 2002. They had shared forty-five years of marriage.
Born in Kenmare, Ireland on March 5, 1928, she was the daughter of the late Daniel and Julia (O’Sullivan) Murphy. Joan had resided in Waltham for many years before moving to Magnolia in 1974.
She was an active member of the St. Ann Church in Gloucester, the St. Joseph Chapel Guild Committee, the St. Ann Prayer Group, Manchester Athletic Club and The North Shore Irish Association.
She is survived by two daughters and sons-in-law, Julie and Sean MacBride of Kildare, Ireland, and Diane and Victor Macedo of Peabody; three sons and daughters-in-law, Richard and Jennifer Colby of Newburyport, Timothy and Nancy Colby of Rowley and Brian and Maureen Colby of Magnolia; eleven grandchildren, Patrick, Daniel and Benjamin Colby all of Newburyport, Elizabeth MacBride of Kildare, Ireland, Emily and Christopher Colby of Rowley, Katie, Kerri, Marybeth and Meghan Colby all of Magnolia, and Arthur Macedo of Peabody; two sisters, Margaret O’Sullivan of Kerry, Ireland and Sister Veronica Murphy of Johannesburg, South Africa; brother-in-law, Robert Colby of Billerica; three sisters-in-law, Nancy Colby of Medford, Vera Murphy and Margaret Murphy both of Ireland, and many nieces and nephews. She was also predeceased by two brothers, Michael and Daniel Murphy; her sister, Mary Randles, brother-in-law, Walter Colby, and sister-in-law, Ann Colby.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday in the Holy Family Parish, St. Ann Church, Pleasant St., Gloucester at 10:30 a.m. Visiting hours will be held on Sunday in the Grondin Funeral Home, 376 Cabot Street, Beverly from 2 - 5 p.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. Interment will be held in the Calvary Cemetery, Gloucester. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her memory to Holy Family Parish, 60 Prospect St., Gloucester, MA 01930 or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163-4777. For more information and to send online condolences, please visit www.grondinfuneralservices.com.