The family of Joan Catherine Genzel announces with deep sadness her sudden passing on Sunday, June 19, 2022.
A lifelong Bayonne resident, Joan embarked on a rewarding career with the Bayonne Board of Education. Before her retirement, she was a dedicated Second Grade teacher at the Walter F. Robinson Community School. Her enthusiastic approach and nurturing learning environment during her 21 years as an educator impacted the lives of her students and developed into enduring friendships with many parents.
Joan will be remembered as a strong and independent woman who embraced life's experiences with open arms. She took extreme pride in her role as mother and grandmother and treasured spending family time together. Joan was captivated by the sights and scenery of the Las Vegas scene and was overjoyed when her daughter Tara, spared no expense by throwing her a Las Vegas casino-style party for her 80th birthday at the Chandelier Restaurant in Bayonne with live music, dancers, card tables, and wheels.
A diehard New Jersey Devils fan, she was a longtime season ticket holder who seldom missed a game. She was also the Cheer Captain of the Facebook group The Devils Dispatch. She enjoyed going to the Mets games with her daughter, taking spontaneous trips to various movie theaters no matter where the location was, and listening to the music of her favorite singer of all time, Elvis Presley.
Joan will be missed immensely, but never forgotten, as her wonderful legacy will be cherished for all eternity.
Joan was predeceased by her parents, Edward and Catherine (Moskal) Smith, and her beloved Yorkie, Cocoa. She is survived by her daughter, Tara Genzel, her adored granddaughter, Eva, her sister, Dorothy Grekstas, and husband, Bill, her nephew, Jonathan Grekstas Esq., and her dear friend, Claire Donahue.
A visitation will be held at the Dworzanski & Son Funeral Home, on Thursday, June 23 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm and 5:00 to 7:00 pm. A funeral mass in Joan's honor will be held on Friday, June 24, at 10:45 a.m., officiated by Fr. Lukasz Kleczka, of St. John Paul II Parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church. Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, North Arlington, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in memory of Joan. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home.
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