Joan McGarry Conway

Joan was born on July 19, 1925, in Warren, Pennsylvania to Paul and Marie Beam McGarry. She was the fifth of eleven children all of whom preceded her in death. She loved reciting their names: “Ann, Pat, Mary, Jeanne, Joan, Tootie, Sonny, Jackie, John, Dottie, Denny”.

She graduated from Warren High School in 1942 and helped the war effort by operating a turret lathe in a wartime factory. She earned a Nursing degree through the Cadet Nursing Corps at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1947. After graduation, she returned to Warren, where she worked as a nurse at Warren General Hospital. In 1951, a doctor working with Joan arranged for a date with Paul Louis Conway, a World War II Navy veteran and Warren native who was a mechanical engineering student at Purdue University. The rest, as they say, is history. They married November 29, 1952 and celebrated 50 years together before Paul’s death in 2003. Their life included fourteen homes in nine states. Together they raised five children, Paul (Martha) of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Joseph (Marta, who preceded Joan in death) of Sylva, North Carolina; Ann Wenger (Mike) of McCall, Idaho; Martha Purvis (George) of Mechanicsville, Virginia, and John (Karen) of South Bend, Indiana. Joan loved being Grammy to twelve grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and dozens of nieces and nephews. Joan’s life was devoted to the love and service of others, especially her family. She forged a tight bond among her McGarry siblings throughout their lives, reuniting regularly for laughter and talk therapy but little sleep.

Joan was a voracious reader and lifelong learner with a special interest in current events. She was a prolific and talented letter writer and a ceaseless communicator by phone. Family and friends often sought Joan’s advice and she lovingly offered help, a listening ear, and encouragement to anyone going through a difficult time. Joan loved being a nurse, and after raising her family, resumed her nursing career working in labor and delivery and later, in local nursing homes.

Visiting hours will be held at Nelsen Funeral Home, Ashland, Virginia, on Monday, March 13 between the hours of 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. A funeral Mass will take place at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Ashland on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. On Thursday, March 16, 2023, a visitation will be held from 10:00am to 11:00am with a memorial Mass to be held at 11:00am at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Warren, Pennsylvania before Joan joins her beloved husband Paul in eternal rest at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Warren, Pennsylvania.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (www.cff.org) or the Shriners Hospital for Children (www.shrinerschildrens.org).