Joan Josephine Coniglio
and
Bill Ketterer

1945

 

Carole and Joan ~ 1946

1951

Bill and Joan ~ 1961

 

1984
Karen, Bill, Steve, Jeff
Joan, Kim
Kelly

 
 
 

2011

Joan with Lee Pedrick and Lisa Coniglio Hiltebeitel

Valerie Costello Ketterer with Bill and Joan

 

2012

Bill and Joan

 
Too soon, Joan Coniglio Ketterer left us.  The words below were spoken at her final Mass, 30 January 2012.

Eulogies for Joan

          It wasn’t long ago that I stood before a group in this way, and remembered Joan’s mother . . . my dear sister-in-law and godmother Mary Modica Coniglio. Joan was the epitome of all the good things about Mary (there were no bad things). Like Mary, Joan was sweet and shy, but strong in her love for her family. A true expert in her role . . . as wife, mother and grandmother. My memories of her go back to when she was an infant, I thought of her as a little sister. Always kind, never angry, loving in every way.

Uncle Angelo Coniglio        

 

 
          Mom was, first and last, a mother and homemaker - a lifelong job that's becoming scarcer with each day.

          She was an articulate, intelligent woman who loved to spend her time reading, cooking and perfecting her recipes, crocheting gifts for everyone she knew, and working in her beautiful garden.  Everything she did came from her heart and you couldn't help but feel it.  She kept an impeccable home and took great pride in her work.  

          When you stepped into mom and dad's house you felt warm and instantly welcome and that was a tribute to my mother.

           I remember going on family vacations to Oneida Lake, Lake George, Cape Cod, and of course, as young children, camping at Timber lake. We also spent many long lazy summer days together swimming, laughing until we cried, and enjoying just being together.  Mom knew how to make everything fun and exciting and special.  All of my Christmas memories are those of wonder and wishes come true.

          She taught each of us that we could have fun wherever we were as long as we were together.

          Raising five children certainly had to be a struggle at times, but Mom gave so much to all of us.

          To me, she gave the gift of dance. What began as one little activity on Saturday mornings almost 40 years ago was to blossom into a lifelong passion.  Maybe she saw some talent in me or maybe it was something she wished for herself, for even when I wanted to quit as a child, her gentle nudges led me back to dance. Now, this gift has been passed on from my sisters and me to the grandchildren . . . another of Mom's legacies to us.

Karen Ketterer Costello    

 

 
         The impact our mother had on our lives is far too profound to be adequately expressed in words on paper, but we’ll try. Reflecting on our mother’s life, the most obvious quality to note is that she truly lived, taught, and modeled the virtues of Christ and our Blessed Mother. She was loving, compassionate, generous, humble, empathic and selfless. Each and every day, she displayed these personal qualities to all she came in contact with.

          One of our mother’s favorite sayings was, 'If you give a rose, you give love.'  Mom was our very own Saint Teresa on earth. To her, the roses she gave came in the form of nourishing food, beautifully hand-crafted blankets and sweaters, or carefully chosen gifts that she picked up and saved for the special people in her life. She didn’t wait for your birthday to give you something special. Mom made you feel like every day was your birthday and every day was a new opportunity for her to do something nice for us. Because of our mom’s generosity, we each have our homes filled with reminders of her love. But you didn’t have to know mom to have benefited from her kindness. She loved to donate her time, her talents and her treasure to anyone who might need them - - including strangers.

          Mom’s continued genuine interest in each of her children’s lives, her ability to accept us for who we were, and her desire to push us to be the best we could be has inspired each of us to do the same. Mom’s love and service was equally strong when it came to her grandchildren. She craved spending time with them. She delighted in teaching them new things like gardening, cooking, and shopping for bargains and giving them little surprise treats when she saw them. When learning of her passing, her granddaughter Hope said, 'I lost my very best friend.' She quickly added, 'She’s the best angel God could ever need.'  We were blessed to have our angel with us on this earth for sixty-seven years.

          Mom was a loyal wife and partner. She adored our dad.  She told us she fell in love with him at first sight at a high school dance. It was as if no one else in the world existed, she said.  Their love has served as a beacon for all of us children to follow. This is a gift we will always cherish.

          Mom was modest and humble.  After preparing the most amazing of meals for her large family, she would only answer our compliments with, 'Well, I guess it was okay.'  She would never give herself credit for all of her wonderful efforts and accomplishments.

          Mom liked to have fun, too. To say she loved shopping would be a tremendous understatement.  She longed for spring and summer, when she would spend countless hours working with dad on their gardens.  She especially liked finding baby plants in the garden and sharing them with someone she loved, so they too, could enjoy the beauty of that plant.  She enjoyed politics and debating – although we all learned at a fairly young age that we could not win a debate with mom.  She was far too smart and passionate.

         Mom also enjoyed baking, finding seashells on the beach, and going for relaxing rides along the river with dad on their boat.  We also must mention her love of chocolate!  She shared the benefits of this miracle food with us daily. Mom also loved to read and research topics of interest to her.  She sacrificed a lot to raise five children, including the ability to finish her college degree.  But her thirst for knowledge and her natural intelligence exuded from her.

         There’s no way to say goodbye to our mother. And she would not have wanted us to. In fact, she never used the word 'Goodbye'.  Even at the end of a phone conversation, she preferred to say 'So long' or 'See you soon.'

Kim Ketterer Sedita    

 

 
          Kim's words, below, reflect how all of us, husband, children, grandchildren, brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles, in-laws and friends would like to say farewell to Joan:

          So, until we’re able to see your sweet smile and touch your soft hands again, let us tell you that we love you.  We appreciate everything you did for us and gave to us.  Every day, we’ll remember your love.  And we’re thankful to God that you are now in Heaven with the rest of His angels.

 

'So long, Joan.'  Rest in peace.

 

 

Kimberly and Josie-to-be ~ 2012 Family Picnic

Kimberly and Josie ~ August 2012

   

Generations:

Genesis

1

2 (First Cousins) 3 4 5

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Gaetano & Rosina

Guy Guy Jr. Ron Ro Joan Carole Brian

Family
List

Ray Ray Jr. Ronald        
Phil John Jean JoAnn      
Millie Al Michael        
Connie Jackie Shelly Andy Matt Roseann  
Mary Dennis Denise Frank Maria    
Tony Tony Jr. Tom        
Ange Angelo Angela        


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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