Date of death: 12/29/2010
Saint Meinrad Class: SS 1979
Sister Joan Desmond (Sr. St. Patrick) of Cambridge, MA, died after a long illness at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA on Wednesday, December 29, 2010. Born in Boston, MA on August 30, 1940 to the late Patrick J. and Johanna (Sullivan) Desmond, she was 70.
She attended St. Gregory School in Dorchester, MA and graduated from St. Gregory High School, class of 1958. She earned her BA Ed/Social Studies from Emmanuel College, Chicopee, MA in 1964, her MA Ed/Reading Specialist from Northeastern University, Boston, MA in 1974 and her MC in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University, Omaha, NE in 1985.
She taught 1st and 2nd grade at Star of Sea School in Marblehead, MA from 1963 to 1966; 1st grade at Notre Dame Academy in Tyngsboro, MA from 1966 to 1970; 1st grade at St. Jerome School in N. Weymouth, MA where she also served as Principle from 1970 to 1982; 3rd grade at Sacred Heart School in N. Quincy, MA from 1982 to 1985; St. Francis Xavier School in S. Weymouth, MA as principle from 1985 to 1990; 1st and 2nd grade at St. Augustine School in S. Boston, MA where she also served as Principle from 1990 to 1997.
In 1997 she took a 4 month sabbatical at Mercy Center in Madison, CT where she had time for prayer and reflections. Then in 1998 she went to St. Augustine Convent in Lawrence, MA and studied Microsoft Office at Castle College in NH. From 1998 to 2010 she worked as an Administrative Assistant at KY Dominican Sisters Regional Office in Watertown, MA and from 2010 until her death she was a part time volunteer at Boston Province Office in Everett, MA.
She is survived by her beloved Notre Dame community as well as 2 brothers, Daniel of Weymouth and Denis of Boston; 5 sisters, Mary McGrail of Mansfield, Kathleen Hayden of Hingham, Eileen Bankowski of Dorchester, Ann Quinn of Weymouth and Margaret Clifford of San Antonio, TX; numerous nieces, nephews, grand nieces and grand nephews. She was pre-deceased by 2 brothers, Patrick and Robert Desmond.