Joan Rooney McDonough passed away on March 7, 2022, at her home in Monmouth Beach, N.J. Joan was born in Rutherford, N.J. on New Years Day in 1931. She graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Rutherford and from Caldwell College (now Caldwell University) in Caldwell N.J.

Joan’s family was the center of her life. She married Robert McDonough (Bob) in 1953 and they had seven children. Joan and Bob lived in Westfield, N.J., from 1956 to 1989, when they moved to Monmouth Beach. Throughout her life, Joan took part in many volunteer activities, including the Girl Scouts , the Friends of the Library, and the Women’s Club.

Joan was widowed when Bob died in 2020. Joan is survived by six of her children, and seventeen grandchildren. The surviving children are Kathleen and her husband, Seth Worley; Eileen; Mary and her husband Whitley Cummings; Matthew and his wife Ingrid; Paul and his partner Ines Gros; and Michael. Joan’s oldest son, Robert, died in 2010, and is survived by his wife, Cara Gavin.

A funeral mass for Joan and a memorial service for Bob will be held together on March 30 at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Trinity Church, 315 First Street, Westfield N.J. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to Caldwell University.