Joanne E. Luce Smith, 79, of Richard Way, East Haven passed away Sunday, May 29, 2011 at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She was the wife of the late George H. Smith.
Born in Searsmont, Maine on March 3, 1932; a daughter of the late Charles H. and Katherine White Luce. Joanne was a 1950 graduate of Wilbur Cross High School and was a member of its women’s championship basketball team. Joanne had worked for Dow Covers for many years; she enjoyed crossword puzzles and was and avid bingo player. Mother of Kathryn J. (Allan Abate) Smith and Kristine (George) Montesanto, Jr. all of East Haven. Grandmother of Richard J.(Melissa Hensley) Bryan, Amanda Cicarella and her fiancé John Lovig, April Cicarella and Jennifer Montesanto. Sister of Katherine (Noah) Cifarelli, Sr. of East Haven and the late Evelyn Caird, Ola Sloot, Frank and Paul Luce. Sister-in-law of Alice Stone. Also survived by her beloved lifelong friend Beverly Tullock.
Her Funeral Procession will leave the North Haven Funeral Home, 36 Washington Ave., Saturday morning at 9:00. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Our Lady of Pompeii Church at 9:30 AM. Interment will follow in Northford Cemetery. The visiting hours will be Friday from 5 to 8 PM.