Joan Demma Carcia

Joan Demma Carcia of Colchester passed away a day after her 90th birthday on November 19, 2022.  Joan was born on November 18, 1932, in Hartford, CT, the daughter of the late Roger and Mary (Petruzziello) Demma.  She married her beloved husband, Joseph D. Carcia on July 29, 1957.  He predeceased her in death on January 3, 2009.  Joan graduated from Teachers College of Connecticut in 1955 where she earned her bachelor’s degree in teaching and then went on to earn a master’s degree from the University of Hartford.  Before Joan and Joe moved to Colchester, they were longtime parishioners of The Church of the Incarnation in Wethersfield.  Together they became active and faithful communicants of St. Andrew Catholic Church in Colchester and sang in the choir.  She was a dedicated elementary school teacher in Hartford for 35 years and retired in 1994.  Joan started her teaching career at Mary Hooker School, then Kennelly School, and finally at Henry C. Dwight Elementary School where she was one of the very first teachers in Hartford to teach English as a Second Language (ESL).  At 88 she became a volunteer, alongside her daughter, with Meals on Wheels and in her spare time, Joan was usually found reading a good book, watching EWTN, clipping newspaper articles to pass along to others, or spending time with her family and friends.  Joan is survived by her children Melissa and husband David Brown of South Carolina; Ann Marie Gagliardi and boyfriend Rey Michaud of Colchester, CT; a granddaughter, Alexandra Rae Brown; her siblings and their spouses, Roger and Patricia Demma of Rocky Hill; Susan and James Stavola of Colchester; and many extended family members and friends.  The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to Thando who cared for her.  Her dedication and compassion were a blessing to Joan and her family.  Calling hours will be Friday, November 25th from 3–6 PM at the Aurora-McCarthy Funeral Home, 167 Old Hartford Rd., Colchester.  A celebration of a Mass of Christian Burial will be held the following morning at 11:00 AM, St. Andrew Catholic Church, Colchester. The burial will be in New St. Andrew Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, donations in Joan’s memory may be made to Lindsay’s Legacy Foundation, P.O. Box 3196, Vernon, CT 06066, Elizabeth Lee Carcia Fund, CCMC Foundation, 282 Washington St, Hartford, CT 06106, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.  To share a memory or express a condolence to Joan’s family, please visit www.auroramccarthyfuneralhome.com.     

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