Obituary of Joan V D'Arcy

Joan Veronica D’Arcy died peacefully at her home in Cape May Court House, N.J. on May 19. She was 82.Joan worked for the airline industry and traveled extensively before marrying and raising five daughters. She spent her later career working for the Ridgewood Board of Education, supporting the athletic and music departments. She was also a doting grandmother. Once her grandchildren arrived, she seemed to turn her back on the house rules that had kept her rambunctious daughters in line and fill her cupboards with sugary treats. One of her favorite moments in later years was when a granddaughter took her hand and told her “Grandma, you are my best friend.”

Born Joan McDonald in Troy, New York on June 25, 1935, she grew up as one of eight siblings in a tight-knit family. She graduated from Troy’s Catholic Central High School and then moved to Albany, New York, where she first joined American Airlines as a ticket agent. Joan took full advantage of the travel perks that came with her job, often asking her sister, Anne, to join her on trips, including one where she barely escaped a shark chasing her as she waterskied. In Albany, Joan joined the ski club and local parish and met lifelong friends. It was also in Albany where she agreed to accompany a friend to an impromptu party and met a redhead named Thomas James D’Arcy, who would become her husband of 50 years. She and Tom married in 1964, moved to New York City and started a family. After four more moves, they settled in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where they spent more than 30 years raising their daughters, supporting Our Lady of Mt. Carmel parish and developing deep friendships. Joan worked as an administrative assistant at the First Presbyterian nursery school, Travell Elementary School and Bergen County Community College before joining the Ridgewood Board of Education, where she quickly became indispensible. When the Board had to grapple with the challenge of integrating computers, for instance, she taught herself how to master them and shared her new knowledge with colleagues throughout the building. In the early 2000s, Joan developed Alzheimer’s disease. For many years, the disease was weak against her sense of adventure and love of family. In 2009, she and Tom moved to Cape May Court House. Tom died in 2015 at age 85, just months after they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Joan was lovingly cared for by Mary Ngamau for the last seven years. She is survived by her five daughters and five sons-in-law, as well as seven grandchildren and six step-grandchildren. Two sisters, three brothers and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews also survive her. A sister, who also suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and a brother, predeceased her. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.   Services are private