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October 25, 2026
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 2, 2026, from 4–8 PM.
Funeral services will be held at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the funeral home, followed by a procession to Our Lady of Consolation R.C. Church, 1799 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne, where a Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM. Following Mass, Joan will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, James, at Calvary Mausoleum in Paterson.
Joan R. Sorce, age 92, passed peacefully in her sleep from this life to the next on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Born in Passaic, Joan was the second of Stanley and Teresa (Winkler) Augustowski’s three children. She grew up in Garfield and graduated from Garfield High School.
Joan met the love of her life, James “Chippy” Sorce, who lived just a few blocks away in Garfield. Like many of their friends, they spent time hanging out at Babe’s Sweet Shop on Jewel Street, where they met when Joan was just sixteen. When Chippy left for Army service in 1951, he took with him a photograph of the two of them standing on a lakeside beach along Route 23. It was a keepsake of the young woman who would become his wife and lifelong partner.
They married on June 27, 1953, at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Garfield. Joan was just eighteen years old, and the newlyweds honeymooned at Brookdale on the Lake in Scotrun, Pennsylvania. After beginning their married life in Garfield, they eventually moved to a newly built home in one of Wayne’s brand-new residential developments. There, they built a life centered on family, hospitality, and countless shared memories. Joan and Chippy enjoyed sixty-nine years of loving and devoted marriage until Chippy’s passing in January 2023. Together, they raised their son, James, and daughter, Jacalyn, and welcomed four grandchildren: Ashley, Nicole, Gina, and James.
Motherhood and homemaking were at the heart of Joan’s life. She had a natural gift for making a house feel like home, creating a warm and welcoming place for her husband and children and, later, her grandchildren. With a swimming pool in the backyard, the Sorce home became a favorite gathering spot for summer barbecues and picnics, all made possible by Joan’s can-do spirit. She loved entertaining, and her home was the go-to destination for many Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, as well as New Year’s parties. Whether family gathered for a holiday or simply stopped by for a visit, Joan’s home offered a sense of comfort, security, and belonging.
Joan was also an excellent cook, drawing inspiration from her Polish heritage. Her stuffed cabbage and kielbasa were family favorites, along with the potatoes and vegetables that accompanied so many of her meals. Sundays often meant her delicious pot roast, a particular favorite of her son, Jim. And when Joan decided to cook Italian, her meatballs and sauce could hold their own with the best of them. Her daughter, Jackie, especially loved her mom’s macaroni and meatballs.
Earlier in life, Joan enjoyed making ceramics and her garden club. She was a longtime fan of Elvis Presley’s music and faithfully rooted for her New York Yankees. But among her greatest joys were her grandchildren, whom she considered one of God’s greatest gifts. Joan and Chippy often welcomed them for visits that became affectionately known as “Sorce Camp.” Their time with their grandchildren included day trips to Point Pleasant and Woodloch Pines Resort in Pennsylvania, creating memories that would last well beyond childhood. In recent years, Joan’s family purchased an iPad for her and introduced her to the wonderful world of Facebook, giving her a whole new way to keep up with and communicate with family and friends. Once she mastered navigating the tablet, Joan took to Facebook with enthusiasm—and she loved it!
Travel was another pleasure Joan and Chippy shared. Their adventures included family vacations to Brookdale on the Lake in Scotrun, Pennsylvania, as well as two trips to Hawaii, visits to Aruba and St. Thomas, and vacations on Sanibel Island in Florida. For many years, they also enjoyed the companionship of their beloved pets: Freckles, an English Setter-Collie mix; Frisky the cat; and a white outdoor bunny aptly named Peter.
Joan and Chippy were longtime parishioners of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Wayne.
Joan had a caring heart and an empathetic spirit. She was not only a wonderful host but also someone people could turn to when life became difficult. She listened, cared, and worried about everyone—a reflection of how deeply she felt for the people in her life.
Joan was the loving wife of the late James “Chippy” Sorce (2023); the devoted mother of James S. Sorce and his wife, Patricia, of Sparta, and Jacalyn Sorce Potter and her husband, Kenny, of Oak Ridge; the proud grandmother of Ashley Wamback Lobban and her husband, Robert, Nicole Sorce, Gina Gardner and her husband, Michael, and James Wamback and his wife, Kaitlyn; and the adoring great-grandmother of Sophia; the dear sister of the late Edward Augustowski and his late wife, Norma, and the late Claire Monteleone and her husband, Rudy, of Wayne; and a dear aunt to numerous nieces and nephews.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 2, 2026, from 4–8 PM.
Funeral services will be held at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the funeral home, followed by a procession to Our Lady of Consolation R.C. Church, 1799 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne, where a Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM. Following Mass, Joan will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, James, at Calvary Mausoleum in Paterson.
October 26, 2026
October 25, 2026
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Monday, November 2, 2026, from 4–8 PM.
Funeral services will be held at 9:00 AM on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at the funeral home, followed by a procession to Our Lady of Consolation R.C. Church, 1799 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne, where a Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM. Following Mass, Joan will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, James, at Calvary Mausoleum in Paterson.
Joan R. Sorce, age 92, passed peacefully in her sleep from this life to the next on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Born in Passaic, Joan was the second of Stanley and Teresa (Winkler) Augustowski’s three children. She grew up in Garfield and graduated from Garfield High School.
Joan met the love of her life, James “Chippy” Sorce, who lived just a few blocks away in Garfield. Like many of their friends, they spent time hanging out at Babe’s Sweet Shop on Jewel Street, where they met when Joan was just sixteen. When Chippy left for Army service in 1951, he took with him a photograph of the two of them standing on a lakeside beach along Route 23. It was a keepsake of the young woman who would become his wife and lifelong partner.
They married on June 27, 1953, at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Garfield. Joan was just eighteen years old, and the newlyweds honeymooned at Brookdale on the Lake in Scotrun, Pennsylvania. After beginning their married life in Garfield, they eventually moved to a newly built home in one of Wayne’s brand-new residential developments. There, they built a life centered on family, hospitality, and countless shared memories. Joan and Chippy enjoyed sixty-nine years of loving and devoted marriage until Chippy’s passing in January 2023. Together, they raised their son, James, and daughter, Jacalyn, and welcomed four grandchildren: Ashley, Nicole, Gina, and James.
Motherhood and homemaking were at the heart of Joan’s life. She had a natural gift for making a house feel like home, creating a warm and welcoming place for her husband and children and, later, her grandchildren. With a swimming pool in the backyard, the Sorce home became a favorite gathering spot for summer barbecues and picnics, all made possible by Joan’s can-do spirit. She loved entertaining, and her home was the go-to destination for many Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations, as well as New Year’s parties. Whether family gathered for a holiday or simply stopped by for a visit, Joan’s home offered a sense of comfort, security, and belonging.
Joan was also an excellent cook, drawing inspiration from her Polish heritage. Her stuffed cabbage and kielbasa were family favorites, along with the potatoes and vegetables that accompanied so many of her meals. Sundays often meant her delicious pot roast, a particular favorite of her son, Jim. And when Joan decided to cook Italian, her meatballs and sauce could hold their own with the best of them. Her daughter, Jackie, especially loved her mom’s macaroni and meatballs.
Earlier in life, Joan enjoyed making ceramics and her garden club. She was a longtime fan of Elvis Presley’s music and faithfully rooted for her New York Yankees. But among her greatest joys were her grandchildren, whom she considered one of God’s greatest gifts. Joan and Chippy often welcomed them for visits that became affectionately known as “Sorce Camp.” Their time with their grandchildren included day trips to Point Pleasant and Woodloch Pines Resort in Pennsylvania, creating memories that would last well beyond childhood. In recent years, Joan’s family purchased an iPad for her and introduced her to the wonderful world of Facebook, giving her a whole new way to keep up with and communicate with family and friends. Once she mastered navigating the tablet, Joan took to Facebook with enthusiasm—and she loved it!
Travel was another pleasure Joan and Chippy shared. Their adventures included family vacations to Brookdale on the Lake in Scotrun, Pennsylvania, as well as two trips to Hawaii, visits to Aruba and St. Thomas, and vacations on Sanibel Island in Florida. For many years, they also enjoyed the companionship of their beloved pets: Freckles, an English Setter-Collie mix; Frisky the cat; and a white outdoor bunny aptly named Peter.
Joan and Chippy were longtime parishioners of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Wayne.
Joan had a caring heart and an empathetic spirit. She was not only a wonderful host but also someone people could turn to when life became difficult. She listened, cared, and worried about everyone—a reflection of how deeply she felt for the people in her life.
Joan was the loving wife of the late James “Chippy” Sorce (2023); the devoted mother of James S. Sorce and his wife, Patricia, of Sparta, and Jacalyn Sorce Potter and her husband, Kenny, of Oak Ridge; the proud grandmother of Ashley Wamback Lobban and her husband, Robert, Nicole Sorce, Gina Gardner and her husband, Michael, and James Wamback and his wife, Kaitlyn; and the adoring great-grandmother of Sophia; the dear sister of the late Edward Augustowski and his late wife, Norma, and the late Claire Monteleone and her husband, Rudy, of Wayne; and a dear aunt to numerous nieces and nephews.
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