Joan Marie McCrea

Joan Marie McCrea, who had given most of her life to taking care of others, died Sunday, March 8, at home with most of her family with her, after a courageous second bout with cancer. As a young woman in 1958, Joan had made her first airplane flight ever to come to Tempe from her native Toronto, Canada to be reunited with the young man she loved, fellow Canadian Tom McCrea. Tom had emigrated to Arizona in mid-1957 and become a Tempe Daily News back shop employee. The couple exchanged wedding vows on October 22, 1958, in the Tempe First Congregational Church. They had made their home in Tempe ever since - as part of the Tempe Daily News "family" for more than 20 years and eventually as U.S. citizens. Born in Toronto, on February 7, 1938 to the late Jim and Margaret Garvey, Joan had attended schools in that city and worked for a long time as a stenographer for the Cunard Steamships. A talented amateur poet and a lifelong avid reader, she had taken English and writing courses at Mesa Community College in her early years in Tempe and was a longtime regular and frequent visitor to Tempe Public Library. Irish and lifelong Catholic, Joan had been a member to Tempe's historic Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and then, with Tom, among the first members of Resurrection Catholic Church when it was founded and the Mount Carmel parish was re-districted. Though a stay-at-home mom much of her life, Joan's caring extended beyond her immediate family. Over the years, she cared for children of a number of the working moms in her central Tempe neighborhood, and it wasn't unusual to have them drop by the McCrea home years afterwards to see her. After both of Joan's parents passed away, she and Tom welcomed her physically/mentally handicapped sister Rita into their home. Rita remained with them for 25 years, until she died in 2008, and she was the motivation for both Tom and Joan's longtime dedicated volunteer work with the support of the Tempe ARC. In more recent years, Joan's caring for others has extended to her grandchildren. Joan is survived by husband, Tom; daughters Colleen McCrea of Mesa and Leslie Peter Maroni of Warwick, RI; son Paul Amy of Mesa; and grandchildren Hannah, Tatum, Kennedy, Payton, Sydney, Hunter, T.J., Jeremy, and Jack, all of Mesa; and Francesca, Emma and Nicholas of Rhode Island; a sister, Colleen Kaiser of Toronto; and close family friend Dianne of Mesa; as well as many extended family members. In addition to her parents and Rita, Joan was preceded in death by an infant and brother, Bernard Garvey. Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 AM on May 16, 2011 at Resurrection Catholic Church in Tempe with interment to follow in Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Mesa. Melcher Chapel of Roses, 43 S. Stapley, Mesa, is handling arrangements. Contributions may be made to the ARC of Tempe, 501 E. Broadway, Tempe, AZ 85282 or to Hospice of the Valley, Hov.org, or Hospice of the Valley - Fund Development 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, Arizona 85014. Arrangements under the direction of Melcher Mortuary Chapel of the Roses, Mesa, AZ.