Joan Pra Sisto

Joan Pra Sisto, loving wife, mother, and grandmother passed Friday, June 26, 2020.

Joan grew up in Clifton, New Jersey. She was one of eight children.  Being the oldest girl, she helped take care of her siblings and that caring nature carried throughout her life. Joan was a cheerleader at Clifton High School and she loved to dance.  After high school, she was employed at the office of Moon Carrier where she met the handsome son of the company’s owner, Jack Pra Sisto. They began dating and were married in May of 1959. They started their lives together in an apartment in Richfield Village in Clifton, but soon built a house in Wayne to raise their family.

Joan enjoyed organizing parties. Her dinner and holiday gatherings would always draw rave reviews.  She enjoyed cooking and took several cooking classes once her children were older.  Joan’s homemade ravioli earned a standing ovation! She loved to have her family at the table and her husband Jack was ready with a nice glass of wine or a Manhattan.

Joan was a loving and attentive mother to her three children and a doting grandmother to her six grandchildren. She adored her grandchildren and was so grateful to spend time with them, spoiling them rotten. Mimi, as she was affectionately called by them, thoroughly enjoyed this role. Her grandchildren enjoyed it, too!

The family summered in Pt. Pleasant Beach where they had a home. Jack would go fishing and Joan would have to figure out what to do with all those fluke and blue fish filets! The kids thought her fried flounder was the best! Joan especially enjoyed the beach and a gin and tonic after a long sunny day. The house would be very full when everyone was there and Joan enjoyed seeing us all help out in the kitchen, washing and drying dishes, and singing along with Mitch Miller music.

Joan always put her family first as that was her number one priority in life. She once said that she married well and was truly grateful for the life she and her husband had created together. Joan truly was a kind and caring soul, always looking out for the people in her life.

Joan lived at Victoria Mews Assisted Living over the past nine years where she enjoyed participating in the bell choir, writing for the newsletter, running the general store, and playing dominos and bingo with her friends. In fact, Joan became rather good at Bingo, always giving her winnings to her granddaughter, Carly.

Joan will be greatly missed by her three children John, Ken, and Jackie along with her their spouses, Sheila, Blake and, Al.  She will also be deeply missed by her grandchildren, Johnny, Matt, Nick, Amanda, Molly, and Carly. She is survived by her sister, Lynn and brother, Jimmy.  She is predeceased by her husband, Jack.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959, (www.stjude.org), would be greatly appreciated.