Joan Theresa Noonan

Joan Theresa (Haney) Noonan, 87, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2026, surrounded by family.

Born in Boston on October 14, 1938, Joan was the daughter of the late William L. and Mabel Haney. Joan and her siblings grew up in conditions of extreme neglect and abandonment and, at age 11, she was placed in the Home for Catholic Children, an orphanage in Roxbury, MA. She spent the best years of her childhood there.

A few years later, the Archdiocese of Boston opened Nazareth (now the Showa Boston Institute), an expanded facility on Moss Hill in Jamaica Plain. Joan lived at Nazareth until she was 18 and attended Cathedral High School in Boston. She was subsequently awarded a full scholarship to Regis College in Weston, where she majored in psychology and graduated in 1961.

Entering college with almost no resources or a family support system, Joan displayed the determination and 'force of will' that would characterize her throughout her life. While working full time and renting a room in Mattapan from the Hutchinson family (many of whom would become her lifelong friends), Joan drove herself toward graduation as a full-time student. Along the way, she developed a wide circle of friends, including a group of Regis alumnae who collectively became known as 'Club' and became almost like family over many decades of friendship. Within this social circle, she met Robert 'Bob' Noonan, whom she married in 1962 and with whom she purchased a first home in Walpole.

Joan began her career as an elementary school teacher in the Franklin Public Schools, teaching there until the birth of her first child. The family moved to Framingham in 1968 where, as Joan raised her children, she earned a paralegal certification and worked in positions with law firms and with the Town of Framingham. She again taught at the elementary level during the late 1980s, at St. Tarcisius School in Framingham.

Joan was highly intelligent, read voraciously, and was a wonderful cook — despite her Irish heritage, lasagna became her specialty. In earlier years, she and Bob enjoyed a very active life with family, friends, and their children, extending to her son Jim's crew of buddies during what the family has called the 'Flagg Drive/Stonybrook Road' era in Framingham - happy years during which Joan doted on (and fed) a revolving door of sports-crazed neighborhood kids. In later years she fearlessly — if not always successfully — embraced new computer technologies.

Joan's start in life was difficult, and the journey was not always easy, but her determination never wavered and helped her build a strong and loving life for her family. Her devout, powerful Catholic faith sustained her throughout her journey.

Joan was predeceased by her brothers George ('Butch') and William Haney - extraordinary, courageous men who each overcame great childhood adversity and built good lives for their families. She is survived by her husband Robert P. Noonan, of Marlborough, and two sons: Michael F. Noonan, his wife Karen, and their children Conor, Tomas, and Caitlin of Westborough; and James P. Noonan, his wife Leigh, and their son Blake of Chatham. Joan is also survived by her nephew Russell Haney, her niece Jo-Ann Haney Bird, and Jo-Ann's husband Chuck - each of whom she loved dearly.

Joan's resilience, deep faith, and devotion to family and friends shaped the lives of those around her and will remain part of her legacy.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joan's memory to Catholic Charities or to a Catholic children's organization of one's choice.