Joan Lerz Garrity, January 31, 1932 – March 30, 2025 of The Villages, FL.
Joan is survived by her daughter, Cheryl, son, Russell and his wife, Clay (Perry), their daughters, Kellen and Amber (Buck Earle), her brother, Adolph “Al / Spanky” Lerz, her niece, Lisa (Ray) Swanton, her cousin, Francesca (Jim) Collopy, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was born in Waterbury, CT, daughter of the late Adolph Lerz and Josephine (Rinaldi) Lerz. She was predeceased by her husband, George E. Garrity (1996), and her son, Gregory D. Garrity (1995).
Joan spent her youth with her beloved Rinaldi family in Waterbury. She graduated from Sacred Heart High School (Class of 1949) and went to work at Chase Brass & Copper Company. She was a valued employee, with a talent for quickly mastering the latest IBM office equipment. She married George in 1955, and they moved to Niagara Street. In 1962, the family moved to Newtown, CT, and remained there until their children left for college. In later years, Joan and George moved to Southbury’s Heritage Village and from there, Joan moved to Waterbury, where she resided for 20+ years. In 2019, she moved to The Villages, Florida, to be near family.
She passed away peacefully, at the age of 93. While in Newtown, Joan worked at The Toggery, a fashionable children’s shop, and later volunteered at Abbott Terrace Nursing Home, in Waterbury. While working outside the home was fulfilling, Joan, above all, loved being a homemaker. She loved her children, and spent months at a time at her second home in Oak Creek (Steamboat Springs), CO. She was an avid shopper, scouring stores for anything she felt her kids and grandkids might like. She mailed packages on a weekly basis and gained a reputation for single-handedly keeping the packing tape industry and the U.S. Postal Service in business!
Joan greatly enjoyed cooking and often prepared Italian dishes, divvying up portions and delivering these to neighbors. An avid UConn Women’s Basketball fan, she would not accept phone calls during televised games. In the many cards received by the family after her death, she was acknowledged for her kind heart, keen sense of humor, and sincere interest in helping wherever she could. The overwhelming sentiment is that she was a wonderful woman and that her presence will be greatly missed.
“Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard but always near, still loved and missed and very dear.” A private memorial service will be held in Steamboat Springs, CO, on July 17th.
Expressions of sympathy may be made in Joan’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital ( www.stjude.org ) or to Little Dog Ranch Inc. ( www.LittleDogRanch.org ).