Joan Marcella Kretz

Obituary Published in the Amityville Record on August 24, 2023: Joan M. Kretz passed away at her home in Amityville on April 14, 2023, almost a year after celebrating her 100th birthday with 200 family members and friends by her side. Joan was born on May 28, 1922, in Brooklyn, the second of five children of Stephen McDonough and Marcella Gill. She held a special place in her heart for her siblings Eleanor, John, Stephen, and Thomas, all of whom predeceased her. The family spent their summers in Amityville, where she crossed paths with the love of her life, Walter Kretz. They married in 1946 and began their life together at Cornell University, where Walter continued his undergraduate studies and played football. Mrs. Kretz and her husband Walter welcomed ten children into their lives, starting with their son Stephen, in the December blizzard of 1947, at Brunswick Hospital. Katey, Mary, Patti, Eileen, Walter Jr., Jeanne, Kevin, Amy and Kelly followed, creating a vibrant and loving family. Six of their children still reside in Amityville. After Walter's graduation in June of 1948, the family settled in Amityville, where they raised their children with love and care. Over the years, they also acquired a second home in Tunbridge, Vermont, where they spent cherished summers together. As her children grew up, Mrs. Kretz found joy in various pursuits. She worked in an antique store and contributed her skills to her brother's accounting firm. Additionally, she dedicated her time to volunteer work, serving as part of the St. Martin of Tours Altar Society and as a docent at the Lauder Museum. Joan was truly an extraordinary woman, blessed with good health, a passion for reading, and an encyclopedic memory, said her family. Her indomitable will to live was fueled by her profound love for her ten children, her children's spouses, 28 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. She also kept in close contact with her numerous nieces and nephews.