Joy Ann Zagarella

Joy Ann Zagarella, 50, of Haverhill, formerly of Cambridge, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at Lahey Hospital in Burlington. Joy literally epitomized her name, always given to kindness and concern for everyone she knew. She was born on a cold Sunday in December (15) of 1974 and her older siblings recall surviving on their father, John's, burnt pork chops and pizza while their mother, Georgianna "Cookie" recuperated from her birth, and caring for the rest of the family, at the Boston Lying In hospital. She was predeceased by her father, John Zagarella, Sr., and was one of the primary caretakers for her mother, Cookie (Roberto) Zagarella. Joy was a happy, smiling, child from birth. She would hide under the kitchen table when Santa came to visit, but grew to love Christmas, especially holiday music and decorating the tree. Each year, her favorite birthday present was a fresh Christmas tree, which would often stay up long past Three Kings Day. She good naturedly accepted the myriad gifts emblazoned with her name and made the holiday season a magical time of year. She loved traveling, spending summer weeks in Maine with her friends, and the ocean. Joy had a penchant for Chinese food, especially a delicious crab Rangoon or Peking ravioli. A talented athlete during her school years, she was extremely competitive and enjoyed a variety of sports. Joy also loved game nights with her friends and family, played cards with anyone brave enough to lose at 10 to 1, hearts, or danish memory but ultimately, she refused to play Settlers of Catan after one too many arguments. Joy was a longtime coach at the East Cambridge Little League and a valued employee at Sanofi where her knowledge and expertise will be missed. Joy was not only kind and caring, but also quick witted and intelligent. She was educated in the Cambridge Public School system and was just shy of completing her degree at Bunker Hill Community College when she died. Over the years, her personal legacy was to establish the "Joy Zagarella scholarship fund" to enable her nieces and nephews to pursue higher education. The family will establish an official Joy Zagarella memorial scholarship in her honor through the Friends of CRLS and ask that, in lieu of flowers, those who are moved to do so contribute a donation in her memory at https://focrls.org. Joy was compassionate, empathetic and undoubtedly the kindest, most generous member of her family, with an uncanny ability to see the best in everyone. Joy's first, and longest, roommate and friend was her slightly older sister Paula Zagarella, and they shared many things throughout their lives, including the adoption and mothering of their fur baby, Winston Wigglesbottom Zagarella, a Shih Tzu Maltese mix, who very much misses snuggling his mama at nap and bedtime. He was, fortunately, able to snuggle her into the afterlife. Joy was the beloved daughter of Georgianna (Roberto) Zagarella and the late John Zagarella Sr. and the sweetest sister to John (Karen Griffin) Zagarella Jr, Dawn (Hassan) Said, Trish, Paula, and Christy Zagarella, and Ilona (Stephen) Roll. She was also sister to her furry baby brother Finley, who enjoyed napping nearby while she worked. Joy adored her family, especially her many nieces and nephews whom she loved as though they were her own. They include Pierce, Cassandra (Lazaro Lopez), Chloe, and Yonga Zagarella, Carly (Curtis) Hill, Kendrick Zagarella-Pizzotti, and Kareem and Sharif Said. Joy also leaves behind her beautiful great nieces and nephews, Liam, Christopher, Leo, Luca, Carina and Gabriel. She also leaves her aunt Geraldine Zagarella (John Jainchill), her uncle Jerry O'Leary, and a host of cousins and friends. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend her visitation on Sunday, March 16 from 2-4 PM in the H.L. Farmer & Sons Bradford Funeral Home, 210 South Main St., Bradford. Her Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be on Monday, March 17, at 11 AM in the St. Monica's Church, 212 Lawrence St, Methuen. Interment will follow in the Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill. To share a memory or for more information, please visit www.farmerfuneralhomes.com To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joy, please visit our floral store.