Joan M. Albertelli

Joan Mary (Maloney) Albertelli, 81, of Leominster, MA and former longtime resident of Acton, MA, passed away on Monday, May 6, 2019 at her home at Sunrise Living Center in Leominster, MA. She was married to the late Richard Albertelli for more than 20 years. Joan leaves her 5 children, Steven M. Albertelli of Cambridge, MA, David J. Albertelli of Uxbridge, MA, James F. Albertelli of Maynard, MA, Sandra Kuny and husband Martin of Blue Springs, MO and Joanne Duffin and husband John of Lancaster, MA. She is also survived by her 10 grandchildren; 3 great grandchildren; her sister Sheila Maloney of Littleton, MA and many nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late William Maloney, John "Jack" Maloney, Eleanor Burke and Patricia McInerny. Joan grew up in Cambridge, daughter of the late Michael and Alice (Gilbert) Maloney but lived most of her life at her home in Acton. She graduated from St. Johns Catholic High School. Later in life, when her kids were in high school, Joan decided to go back to school. She travelled every weekend to Norwich University in Vermont and earned her college degree. She was employed as an administrative assistant for Digital Equipment Corp. until her retirement. Joan was self-sufficient, beautiful, kind, hard-working and strong. She never let anything hold her back or keep her down. She loved to read and talk about the books that she found interesting. Joan loved to get to know young people. She was often an exceptional person of her generation in that she would shelter, mentor and support young people trying to find their way in the world. She loved to be part of their energy, and she often offered them the straight forward and brutally honest advice they needed. This would help them to move forward and not be afraid of new adventures. Joan loved to travel. She joined friends and family in seeing London, Ireland, Spain, Porto Rico, and the Caribbean island of St. John. Learning about new places and meeting new people was a joy to her. While she was an avid student of the world and events, Joan was still dedicated to her family. She was fiercely loyal to her children, her grandchildren, great grandchildren and Tom Brady. She showered her grandchildren with loyalty, providing them with many warm memories of board games, trips to Kimballs for ice cream and loud music and singing. What more could anyone ask for? Visiting hours will be held on Friday, May 10, 2019 from 4:00-8:00 P.M. at the Acton Funeral Home, 470 Massachusetts Avenue, (Rt. 111), Acton, MA 01720. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 10:00 am in St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, 89 Arlington Street, Acton. Burial will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Central Street, Acton. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joan may be made to: American Heart Association, P.O. Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-7005. For life story, directions or to leave an online condolence visit www.actonfuneral home.com