Joan Rollo Smith

Joan Marie Regina Rollo Smith passed peacefully into death on Monday, September 1, 2025. Joan was born August 31, 1948, in Dorchester, MA to William (d. 1979) and Julia (d. 1990) Rollo. The youngest of four children, Joan maintained close relationships with her siblings and their partners throughout their lives: Bill Rollo (d. 2022), Judy Rollo (d. 2021), Susan Cormican (d. 2021). She was a loving aunt to her nieces and nephew, Diane, Paul, and Susan Marie.

As a teenager, at one of her first jobs, she met her life-long friend, Julianne Graham, whom she loved as family. Six decades of photos, phone calls, visits, and later, emails and text messages tell the story of mutual loyalty and enduring support through the celebrations and challenges they navigated in their lives. A friendship like that is not an anomaly in a long life of faith and fidelity. Throughout her illness and for the fifty years preceding it, Joan cherished her friendship with Edna Donoghue. Edna has been a light in some of the hardest moments, and has been a touchstone for Joan, reminding her of her faith, and the power of God in our lives.

And, amidst an already rich and rewarding life, Joan met Bill. Joan met Bill Smith in college, and they were married in 1974. With Bill's new teaching job out "in the country" in East Bridgewater, the two moved out of the city and into their new home. Until Bill's passing in 2022 (just after their 48th wedding anniversary), the two shared an unwavering commitment to each other, to their community, and most importantly, to their children. Every single thing they did was in service of supporting the family they loved and cherished above all else. Joan carried that commitment forward after his death, finding strength in her volunteer hours at the food bank, in the church, and with her children.

Joan would tell anyone who would listen about how amazing her children are. She said frequently that it was her greatest accomplishment: these four, unique, strong, thoughtful, funny, and caring people who have found their places in the world and work each day to make it better for those they love. Amy Ringuette and her husband Rob, and their children Owen and Madelyn; Jill Smith Nicolas and her husband Brendon, and their son Corbin; TJ Smith and his wife Jessica, and their children Landon, Camden, and Kennedy; and Pete Smith, and his husband Luke. She doted on her grandchildren and baked like an army might be stopping by any minute.

She died peacefully in her home, overlooking the yard where her children played happily, where fifty years of birthday parties, cookouts, and backyard baseball games took place. In that familiar place, surrounded by memories of joy and love, Joan found peace. Her faith assures us that she is reunited with Bill and her family that preceded her in God's eternal embrace.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Funeral Mass on Wednesday, September 10th at 10:30 AM at Holy Ghost Parish, 518 Washington Street, Whitman. Burial will follow in St. James Cemetery, Whitman. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Hanson Food Pantry or the St Francis House.