Joan Prete

Joan Prete, age 93, a native of Staten Island, passed to eternal life on March 16, 2026, at home.

Born in 1932 in Staten Island to Agnes (Kokcot) and Louis Prete, she grew up in a loving home and was very involved in her Polish Parish, St. Stanislaus Koskta R. C. Church located across the street from her home. She was active in all church activities including volunteering with the retired nuns of the parish. She also marched in many Pulaski Day Parades with her parish.

A graduate of Curtis H. S., she devoted the next forty years of her life working in banking. Her entire career was spent first at Hanover Bank which became Manufacturer 's Hanover, then Chase Manhattan Bank. While working she continued her volunteer work with the nuns of St. Stanislaus. She also enjoyed many a Bingo game in and around the churches of New Brighton. Saturday evenings were devoted to Bingo and Sunday to games of Canasta with the priests from the parish.

Through her mother and father she became lifelong friends with Joe and Barbara Hawkins and became godmother to their daughters, Susan , Sharon, Jackie and JoAnn. She was like a second mother to them and devoted her life to helping to raise them. She volunteered at their school, Assumption School in Staten Island, and even ran Bingo for almost 25 years until their closing. Joan was integral in helping instill Catholic values of service and care for the sick in all of her goddaughters. She lovingly cared for her parents until their deaths in 1982 and 1986 respectively.

Joan was an avid crocheter and enjoyed making baby blankets for all of her friends and family. Many friends will also cherish the Christmas ornaments she crocheted for them. She loved creating crocheted animals for all the children, everyone will cherish her homemade gifts.

After retirement from the bank, she spent most of her time caring for the children of her goddaughters, Sharon (Dominick Bertucci) and Jackie (Bryant Pantano). The boys remember staying at her house playing video games and swimming in the pool. After she moved to Westfield, she attended many sports games and school concerts proudly saving the front row often hours before the start of the show. She also volunteered at Bingo for their school. She was well known among the Holy Trinity school families for always being the first at the door for school pick ups.

She is survived by her goddaughters and their children. She will be greatly missed by Brandon Pantano and his wife Kelly, Evan Pantano , Mara Pantano, Serena Pantano , Kayla Zychowski and her husband Kevin, JC Fairhurst, Dillon Fairhurst and his wife Melissa, Dominick Bertucci and his wife Ariella, and Isabella Bertucci. She was also like a great grandmother to Finn and Hadley Pantano and KJ Zychowski. She so enjoyed watching them play and making them laugh.

The Memorial Mass will be held on Tuesday, March 24th, 2026 at 1130am, 1600 Rahway Ave. Westfield, NJ 07090. Cremation was private.

In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Jude's Children's Hospital would be greatly appreciated. Both Joan and her father, Louis held special devotions to St. Jude.