Joan C. Fiorentino

Joan C. "Joni" Fiorentino, 77, of Delmont, PA, formerly of Lewistown, PA, as well as Far Rockaway, NY, passed unexpectedly on Thursday, May 26, at Westmoreland Manor in Greensburg, PA. Joan was born in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY, on June 12, 1944, to the late Dominic and Eva (Zarkovich) Fiorentino. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister Mary Lou Falcone, her brother Dominic P. "Cookie" Fiorentino, and half-sisters Catarina LaRocca, Patricia Wall, and Viola DeBernardi. Surviving are her affianced soul mate, Shirley York, of Delmont; her brother, Joseph Fiorentino, of Queens; her sister, June Whitehead and husband Arthur, of Toms River, NJ; her half-sister, Rose Colcoighi, of Toms River, NJ; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins, all whom she loved dearly; and her beloved cat, Lady Jane. As a teenager, Joan loved playing volleyball, having good times at Rockaway Beach, listening to music, and singing, when she wasn't working at "The Three J's," the grocery store owned by her parents in Rockaway, NY. Her parents named the business "The Three J's" in honor of their triplets: Joseph, June, and Joan. After graduation from Far Rockaway High School, Joan worked for the former Bell Telephone Company in Jamaica, NY, for several years. However, having spent much time in PA with her aunt and uncle, Kathryn and Mike Porpotage, along with her grandmother Mary Zarkovich and cousins Mike, Rita (now deceased), Mary Lou, and Joe, she grew to love the area and decided to make Pennsylvania her home. Being mechanically inclined, Joan worked at Fisher Electronics in Reedsville for a number of years before moving to western PA, where she worked as a guard at Westmoreland County Prison in Greensburg, PA, from 1990-2000. Sadly, at the age of 56, Joan suffered blindness suddenly and had to retire early. However, given her indomitable spirit, Joan decided to attend a school for the blind and was able to procure a seeing-eye dog in order to live as independently as possible. One can imagine her amazement when she was presented with Eva, her seeing-eye dog with the same name as her mother! Joan loved Eva, and they were able to spend many years side-by-side, allowing Joan to live independently in her beautiful home in Delmont. Joan loved to do as much traveling as possible, but the experience that brought her the greatest joy was her cruise to Bermuda in 2017 with her partner, Shirley. Joan's choice of cremation was entrusted to Thomas M. Smith Funeral Home and Crematory LTD of Blawnox, PA, Dustin A. D'Alessandro, funeral director. With the assistance of King-Barr Funeral Home, Lewistown, PA, private graveside services officiated by the Reverend Canon Dee Calhoun will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery in Milroy, PA, where inurnment will take place near Joan's beloved grandmother, with whom she had shared much joy and laughter. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Trevor Project, ATTN: Development, PO Box 69232, West Hollywood, CA 90069 or PFLAG, 626 Williams Grove Rd., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

Joan C. Fiorentino

June 12, 1944 - May 26, 2022