Obituary of Joanne Dwyer

Joanne Waldron Dwyer was born on March 12, 1934 in Montclair, NJ. She passed away on September 29, 2017 at Morristown Memorial Hospital after a long illness. She was 83.

Joanne spent her early years living in Saranac Lake, NY where she acquired her love for the Great Woods. After her father completed his treatment for Tuberculosis, the family returned to New Jersey and took up residence in Montclair, NJ. She attended Immaculate Conception School, and then Chestnut Hill College where she majored in chemistry. Married to Superior Court Judge Arthur C. Dwyer, she spent many years living and volunteering in Paterson, NJ. Serving on the Boards of the Friends of the Library and the Great Falls Association, among many others. She was a daily communicant of Our Lady of Victories Church.

Joanne continued to pass on her love for chemistry at the College of New Rochelle, in New Rochelle, NY, shepherding hundreds of students through the rigors of the chemistry lab. There she met her good friend, Professor Mary Virginia Orner, who organized many trips to Europe and South America. Despite having two knee replacements, Joanne managed to climb up and down Macchu Picchu.

This was not her first encounter with illness. She survived two diagnoses of breast cancer and a diagnosis of lung cancer. Later in life she took a fall and fractured her neck. Each time she battled back, resolute as always.

She was a great supporter of the Adirondacks; she served for many years on the Adirondack Council, which supervises the park. She was a supporter of the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain, NY, and was influential in the establishment of the Wild Center in Tupper Lake, NY. After the death of her husband she realized a life-long dream, and purchased a home on Green Pond in Saranac, NY. There she happily became part of the community, attending spinning and water aerobics classes in Lake Placid, and joining a knitting group and book club. She was an avid reader and kept up with the events of the day by driving a half hour each way, every day to pick up her beloved New York Times.

She is predeceased by her husband,  Hon. Arthur C. Dwyer; her parents, Elizabeth Murphy Waldron and James R. Waldron, Sr.; her brother, James R. Waldron, Jr.; her sister, Mary Ellen Waldron McLaughlin; and her nephew, Robert Waldron. She is survived by her nieces, Maureen Byrne, Claire Juliana, Megan Becht, Maryellen McLaughlin, Karen Dwyer, Pam Alcaide, and Coleen Huggins; and her nephews, William A. Dwyer, James R. Waldron III, Christopher Waldron, Michael Waldron, as well as 16 grand-nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held to celebrate Joanne’s life on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 from 4:00PM to 8:00PM  at the Madison Memorial Home, 159 Main Street, Madison. A funeral service will be held during the visitation on Tuesday at 5:00PM. Interment will be held at St. John’s Cemetery, Lake Clear, NY.

For more information or to send Joanne’s family an online condolence, please visit www.madisonmemorialhome.com