Margaret “Joan“ Gannalo, 98, peacefully passed away on November 30, 2023, at Ridgefield Station in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Joan was born Margaret Joan Phillips on June 8, 1925, and raised in the Midlands of England.
She grew up on a working farm and met her future husband, George J. Gannalo, during World War II as he was stationed nearby. They married and resided in Brooklyn, NY, where they raised three children: George, David, and Maureen. After the passing of her husband in 1994, she moved to Warwick, NY, to be near her daughter Maureen and three of her nine grandchildren. She quickly made friends and became a member of the Warwick Senior Citizen Club.
On the sad passing of her daughter on January 1, 2000, at the young age of 43, she became instrumental in the raising of her daughter’s three children: Chris, Eric, and Tom who were only 16, 12 and 8 years old when their mother passed away.
Joan led a full life as a loving, caring, friendly, hardworking housewife and mother. She was also an avid Mets and Ranger fan. She is dearly missed by all who knew her.
Joan is survived by her two sons, George and David; nine grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many friends, relatives, and acquaintances. She is also survived by a large number of friends and family in England, specifically, her brother John Phillips, niece Vivienne Freake and cousin Jane Cooper, and many others.
Memorial visitation: Saturday, March 2, 2024, from 1 to 3 p.m. with a 3 p.m. service at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Avenue, Warwick, NY.
Arrangements were made by Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Avenue, Warwick, NY. To send an online condolence, visit lsvpmemorialhome.com.