Joanne Marie D’Onofrio of Sparta, N.J., died on Sunday, July 5, 2020, in Newton, N.J.
Daughter of the late Joseph and Anna Louden, she was born July 19, 1942, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Staten Island, N.Y. She went to elementary school at St. Margaret Mary’s and high school at St. Peter’s in Staten Island.
Following high school, she went on to nursing school at St. Mary’s in Brooklyn, N.Y. She became a registered nurse and worked in the operating room at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. It was at Columbia where she met a charming young dental student, her husband of 52 years, the late Dr. Joseph J. D’Onofrio.
The couple married on July 30, 1966, and moved to Mobile, Alaa., where their two sons, Joseph Jr. and Andrew, were born. After living in the South, the family moved back to the Northeast, residing for a brief time at Beaver Lake, N.J., and eventually settling in the family home in Sparta, where they welcomed their favorite daughter, Jennifer.
Joanne loved her early days of being a nurse and then becoming a mother and raising her kids in the Lake Mohawk section of beautiful Sparta, N.J.
Later she volunteered as the head trainer for Pope John XXIII High School Football Team, where she was lovingly referred to as “Mrs. D.”
In 1995 she suffered stroke and, after a long recovery, worked at the Sparta bookstore and volunteered at Newton Memorial Hospital, working with other stroke survivors.
Joanne touched innumerable lives. She was an amazing cook and avid gardener. She enjoyed her tea, red wine, and spending her summers at Beaver Lake with her friends and family.
She is survived by her children, Joseph, Andrew, and Jennifer; grandchildren, Luka Papike, Zoe Papike, Skylar Papike, Lily D’Onofrio, Madelyn D’Onofrio, and Emily D’Onofrio; and siblings, Margaret Dieter, Robert “Buddy” Louden, and Lawrence Louden.
She is predeceased by her husband, Joe D’Onofrio.
The family will hold a memorial service at a future date.
Memorial donations may be made to the Stroke Center at Newton Medical Center, 175 High St., Newton, NJ 07860. The Goble Funeral Home in Sparta is in charge of private arrangements.