Joan Siedlewicz

Joan was born on March 28, 1935 to Pasquale and Lilia Filosa in Brooklyn, NY. She was the youngest sister of Carol and Angelo. The three siblings had a strong bond that was steadfast throughout their lives. They were taught by their parents to always support each other and know that there is no stronger and unconditional love than between siblings.

Joan always had a strong and independent spirit and wanted a career for herself. Against her parents’ wishes, she pursued nursing. She earned her nursing degree in 1956 from Down State Medical School in Brooklyn, NY. Joan was always focused on learning and though she had three young children at the time, with the support of her own mom, she earned her Master of Science in Education from The State University of New York at Oneonta in 1972. She worked as a registered nurse, a nurse educator, and rehabilitation specialist for 35 years. She was always proud to be a nurse and fiercely defended the importance of good nursing care.

While at nursing school, Joan met John Siedlewicz. They were introduced by John’s sister Eleanor who was a nursing student with Joan. Joan and John were married October 13, 1956 and celebrated 46 years together; a bond only broken by John’s passing. They raised their three children, Russell, LeeAnn, and Douglas, in a house they built in Stony Brook, NY. Their house was part of the “Filosa Compound” that included Joan’s family, her sister Carol’s family, her parents, and her brother Angelo’s family, that is, a total of 2 grandparents, 3 uncles, 3 aunts, and seven nieces and nephews. Whenever there was a crisis, the family formed a “swat team” with Joan the authority on all medical issues. Her children, nieces, and nephews always knew to use the correct medical terms for ailments and body parts, much to the laughter of adults who heard young children using words such as anaphylaxis and ischemia.

Joan had a feisty, fun-loving, and defiant nature. She was smart, quick-witted, and analytical. Always inquisitive and an avid reader she was not intimidated by unknown topics, or for that matter, by any people. When she and John retired to North Carolina, they enjoyed their cocktails at sunset inviting their friends from the neighborhood and her sister and brother-in-law Carol and Dick from next door; the sisters lived next to each other in retirement as they had in Stony Brook. She loved to sit after a good meal and enjoy espresso with Sambuca and tell stories of her life as a nurse and her time getting a hole in one on the golf course. She had the best laugh; full-throated and giddy at the same time. As she would say, “in the last analysis” she loved life and lived it to the fullest. As her sister would say, Joan had true “joie de vivre”.

Joan is survived by her children Russell Siedlewicz, LeeAnn Shattuck, and Douglas Siedlewicz and their spouses, Patricia, John, and Dawn; her grandchildren Nicole, Lindsay, Jake, John, and Matthew; her brother Angelo and his wife Joan; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. All loved her dearly.

In lieu of flowers, Joan’s family requests donations to be made to the American Cancer Society or American Heart Association.

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