Joan V. Owensby, 78

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. —  Joan Valerie (Girardi) Owensby, 78 of North Adams, MA died on Saturday October 2, 2021at Craneville Place in Dalton.

She was born in North Adams, MA on March 10, 1943, a daughter of Valentino John "Tino" Girardi and Angelina "Lena" (Cozzaglio) Girardi. She attended local schools and graduated from Drury High School with the class of 1961. Joan graduated from the Wilfred Academy School of Cosmetology in Boston and studied early childhood education at Berkshire Community College.

Joan began her career at Family Day Care and then worked at Monument Square Day Care Center. She then established Joanie's Small World Nursery School which she operated for 27 years until her retirement.

She was a communicant of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church and a member of its Rosary Society. She enjoyed gardening, reading, music and cooking and baking with family and friends. Joan especially enjoyed being with young children and animals; family gatherings and lunch with her friends. She was a staunch supporter of Turner Classic Movies.

Survivors include her son- David M. Owensby of Florida, MA and two grandchildren- Jordan Owensby and Jackson Owensby and her great granddaughter- Dove Heck. She also leaves her sister- Susan M. (George) Galli of Williamston, MA; her nieces and nephews- including Jodi (Brett) Campbell; Lindsay (Chris) Lyon; Mitchell Galli (Sam Lundquist); her grandnieces and grandnephews- Luke Campbell, Aniston Lyon, Ashlyn Campbell, Brooks Lyon, and Macie Campbell. She is also survived by her daughter in law- Sonja Dwyer; her lifelong friend- Bernadette Eastman; her grand-dogs- Dutchess and Zoey; and many cousins and close friends. Her son, John T. Owensby died on March 1, 2013 and her brother, Robert died in infancy. Joan's family would like to thank the VNA and a special thanks to her nurse, Celeste and the wonderful staff at Craneville Place.

For those that didn’t know “Joanie”, she was someone special.

Loved and leaned on, by family, friends and the multigenerational lives of the hundreds of the nursery school children she taught and interacted with. Her practical approach to life led countless people to seek her help and counsel. She was a person of great integrity and was a “vault” when it came to protecting their confidentiality. She experienced great suffering in life yet she always saw the best in people by living a life of kindness and genuineness. Simply put, she was “love” for anyone and everyone no matter who they were or whatever their circumstances happen to be. She was the sunshine in everyone’s day and now that same light shines brightly for her journey home.

FUNERAL NOTICE: A private viewing will be held. A Funeral Mass and burial for Joan Owensby will be at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church or the Arthritis Foundation in care of FLYNN & DAGNOLI-MONTAGNA HOME FOR FUNERALS CENTRAL CHAPEL, 74 Marshall St. North Adams, MA 01247. To add to the Book of Memories, please visit www.flynndagnolifuneralhomes.com.