Obituary for Joan M. Penny
Joan Connell Penny, April 30, 1931 – July 3, 2023
Joan was born in Bronx, NY where she lived with her parents, Catherine (Battersby) and John Connell and her six siblings; Jack, Ken, Kay, Barbara, Nancy and Patricia, all of whom predeceased her. She attended St. Frances of Rome grammar school and Aquinas High School. After her high school graduation, she went to work at the Equitable Life Assurance Company in Manhattan. She loved to travel and with some of her work girlfriends went skiing at Lake Placid, spent a week in Bermuda and enjoyed a month-long train trip to and from California on “The California Zephyr” with stops in Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego and the Grand Canyon.
Shortly after her California/Chicago adventure, she moved to Evanston, Illinois where she rented a room near her brother Ken. She started a new job with the George Washington Insurance Company, joined the church choir, made lots of friends and even planned a trip to Europe with one of her new coworkers. She and Ken’s future wife, Dorothy (Brown), became fast friends and Joan was a bridesmaid for her future sister-in-law. She enjoyed the years she spent in Illinois but unfortunately her father become ill so she moved back to New York to help care for him. She lived with her mother and father in Massapequa and started a new job in Manhattan at the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis where she met her future husband, Thomas Penny.
Joan and Tom married in October 1956 and by November 1957 their first child, Maureen, was born. By July 1965 two more sons and three daughters joined the family; Thomas Jr., Lois, Joseph, Joann, and Diane. Having six children in only eight and a half years kept Joan busy. Family was the most important thing in her life and she loved being a mom…and was so good at it. She somehow managed to make each and every one of her children feel special and always loved. She instilled in her children a love of traveling. Joan, Tom and the children enjoyed many great vacations and road trips. Some of her favorite memories were these family trips. In 1968 she went back to work as a sales associate at Lerner’s a women’s clothing store, where she worked until she retired at 62.
After the births of their first three grandchildren, Tom passed away suddenly in 1990. For many years after Tom’s passing, Joan continued to live in the home in which they raised their six children. She first lived with Diane, her husband Frank Brady, and their two children Michael and Victoria. After they moved to Florida in 1993, Joan continued to live in the house but now with Lois and her husband Paul Zoll. In 2008 Joe, his wife Tara (McLaughlin), and their two children, Ethan and Emma, moved back to Lindenhurst and invited Joan to live with them. She lived with them until they moved to South Carolina. Fortunately, Evy (Kitt) and Tom’s daughter Jackie had purchased the house and Joan lived with Jackie, her husband Moe Barbato, and their four children, Joey, Kelsey, Aubrey and Benny, from 2014 until 2017. After Jackie and Moe sold the house and moved to Upstate New York, Joan moved back in with Lois and Paul.
No matter where she was living, Joan always made sure that she was “being fair” and spent time traveling to and from her other children’s homes, making sure she spent time with all of her grandchildren. She made every effort to be there for the children’s birthdays, school celebrations, and holidays. Just like with her own children, she always made whomever she was with feel special and loved. When the great-grandchildren began arriving, she did the same. With so many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren she didn’t spend a lot of time in one place.
After the Covid pandemic subsided Joan became a “snowbird” spending her summers on Long Island but her winters in South Carolina, splitting her time between Joe and Tara’s home on Seabrook Island and Dennis (Friedman) and Maureen’s house in Summerville. While on Seabrook, in addition to enjoying time with Joe and Tara, she spent time with Ethan, his wife Kellie (Murray), and their three girls; Caleigh, Mabel and Bridget. When at Maureen and Dennis’ she enjoyed the company of her grandson Andrew and great-grandson, Marisa Friedman’s son, Cameron (Goodkowsky).
During one of her stays in South Carolina she, Maureen, and Cameron ventured down to Spring Hill, Florida. There they enjoyed Easter break with Diane and Frank’s family, especially the newest members; Tori’s husband Kyle (Schmidt), Kevin Brady and his girlfriend Kinzey (Likens), and her great-grandchilden; Jason, Margot, Caleb, Graham, Matthew and Desmond.
Joan Connell Penny was predeceased by her granddaughter Marisa Catherine Friedman, great-granddaughter Marie Gaile Penny, sister-in-laws Elizabeth (Stimus) and Mary (Roach) and brother-in-law Julius Knierim. In addition to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Joan is survived by her many Connell, Penny, and Battersby nieces, nephews and cousins.
Joan touched the lives of many people, so much so that multiple people considered her to be a second mother and very dear friend. She was compassionate, loving, generous, and kind, often putting the needs of family, friends, and strangers alike above her own. In the foreword of one of the books she wrote about her life, Joan wrote “The most important thing is that you all know how much you mean to me and always have.” She will be sorely missed by all who had the pleasure and honor of knowing her.
Calling hours will take place Thursday, July 6, 2023 from 4 to 8pm at the Lindenhurst Funeral Home, 424 South Wellwood Ave, Lindenhurst. Final visitation will be held at the funeral home on Friday, July 7 from 9 to 10am. A Mass of the Christian Burial will follow at 10:30am at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, 39 Carll Ave., Babylon. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. stjude.org
Joan was born in Bronx, NY where she lived with her parents, Catherine (Battersby) and John Connell and her six siblings; Jack, Ken, Kay, Barbara, Nancy and Patricia, all of whom predeceased her. She attended St. Frances of Rome grammar school and Aquinas High School. After her high school graduation, she went to work at the Equitable Life Assurance Company in Manhattan. She loved to travel and with some of her work girlfriends went skiing at Lake Placid, spent a week in Bermuda and enjoyed a month-long train trip to and from California on “The California Zephyr” with stops in Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego and the Grand Canyon.
Shortly after her California/Chicago adventure, she moved to Evanston, Illinois where she rented a room near her brother Ken. She started a new job with the George Washington Insurance Company, joined the church choir, made lots of friends and even planned a trip to Europe with one of her new coworkers. She and Ken’s future wife, Dorothy (Brown), became fast friends and Joan was a bridesmaid for her future sister-in-law. She enjoyed the years she spent in Illinois but unfortunately her father become ill so she moved back to New York to help care for him. She lived with her mother and father in Massapequa and started a new job in Manhattan at the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis where she met her future husband, Thomas Penny.
Joan and Tom married in October 1956 and by November 1957 their first child, Maureen, was born. By July 1965 two more sons and three daughters joined the family; Thomas Jr., Lois, Joseph, Joann, and Diane. Having six children in only eight and a half years kept Joan busy. Family was the most important thing in her life and she loved being a mom…and was so good at it. She somehow managed to make each and every one of her children feel special and always loved. She instilled in her children a love of traveling. Joan, Tom and the children enjoyed many great vacations and road trips. Some of her favorite memories were these family trips. In 1968 she went back to work as a sales associate at Lerner’s a women’s clothing store, where she worked until she retired at 62.
After the births of their first three grandchildren, Tom passed away suddenly in 1990. For many years after Tom’s passing, Joan continued to live in the home in which they raised their six children. She first lived with Diane, her husband Frank Brady, and their two children Michael and Victoria. After they moved to Florida in 1993, Joan continued to live in the house but now with Lois and her husband Paul Zoll. In 2008 Joe, his wife Tara (McLaughlin), and their two children, Ethan and Emma, moved back to Lindenhurst and invited Joan to live with them. She lived with them until they moved to South Carolina. Fortunately, Evy (Kitt) and Tom’s daughter Jackie had purchased the house and Joan lived with Jackie, her husband Moe Barbato, and their four children, Joey, Kelsey, Aubrey and Benny, from 2014 until 2017. After Jackie and Moe sold the house and moved to Upstate New York, Joan moved back in with Lois and Paul.
No matter where she was living, Joan always made sure that she was “being fair” and spent time traveling to and from her other children’s homes, making sure she spent time with all of her grandchildren. She made every effort to be there for the children’s birthdays, school celebrations, and holidays. Just like with her own children, she always made whomever she was with feel special and loved. When the great-grandchildren began arriving, she did the same. With so many children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren she didn’t spend a lot of time in one place.
After the Covid pandemic subsided Joan became a “snowbird” spending her summers on Long Island but her winters in South Carolina, splitting her time between Joe and Tara’s home on Seabrook Island and Dennis (Friedman) and Maureen’s house in Summerville. While on Seabrook, in addition to enjoying time with Joe and Tara, she spent time with Ethan, his wife Kellie (Murray), and their three girls; Caleigh, Mabel and Bridget. When at Maureen and Dennis’ she enjoyed the company of her grandson Andrew and great-grandson, Marisa Friedman’s son, Cameron (Goodkowsky).
During one of her stays in South Carolina she, Maureen, and Cameron ventured down to Spring Hill, Florida. There they enjoyed Easter break with Diane and Frank’s family, especially the newest members; Tori’s husband Kyle (Schmidt), Kevin Brady and his girlfriend Kinzey (Likens), and her great-grandchilden; Jason, Margot, Caleb, Graham, Matthew and Desmond.
Joan Connell Penny was predeceased by her granddaughter Marisa Catherine Friedman, great-granddaughter Marie Gaile Penny, sister-in-laws Elizabeth (Stimus) and Mary (Roach) and brother-in-law Julius Knierim. In addition to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Joan is survived by her many Connell, Penny, and Battersby nieces, nephews and cousins.
Joan touched the lives of many people, so much so that multiple people considered her to be a second mother and very dear friend. She was compassionate, loving, generous, and kind, often putting the needs of family, friends, and strangers alike above her own. In the foreword of one of the books she wrote about her life, Joan wrote “The most important thing is that you all know how much you mean to me and always have.” She will be sorely missed by all who had the pleasure and honor of knowing her.
Calling hours will take place Thursday, July 6, 2023 from 4 to 8pm at the Lindenhurst Funeral Home, 424 South Wellwood Ave, Lindenhurst. Final visitation will be held at the funeral home on Friday, July 7 from 9 to 10am. A Mass of the Christian Burial will follow at 10:30am at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, 39 Carll Ave., Babylon. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. stjude.org