Obituary for Joan Mary Hunter (Urbanski)
Latham - Joan Mary (Urbanski) Hunter was certainly greeted by the angels on the morning of February 8, 2020 when she passed away peacefully and entered into eternal rest. Joan was born the daughter of the late Walter and Millie Urbanski on December 8, 1930 in Albany at the Brady Hospital.
She lived in Rensselaer as a young child before moving to Watervliet where her family established a neighborhood grocery store at Fifth Avenue and 26th Street. Joan enjoyed running the penny candy counter at the store as a child. She told her granddaughters recently how fortunate her family was during the depression to not want for anything and that her parents always helped their neighbors and customers during those hard years. She attended the Immaculate Conception School and then Watervliet High School where she met the love of her life, Tom. They were married on January 6, 1951 and soon began building their home in Latham. The newlyweds would spend every evening after work laying block for the foundation of their forever home. Joan and Tom were blessed with three sons and the boys were fortunate to have her as their stay-at-home mom. She organized the family’s weekend camping trips to Lake Eaton in the Adirondacks. Joan was a secretary at Siena College and then Saint Colman’s Children’s Day Care Center. After their retirement, Joan and Tom traveled frequently to visit Bruce on the west coast and David in the mid-west. Joan taught us all well with her steadfast loving example of kindness and generosity. Joan’s pride was her family and she has been blessed with three granddaughters and a grandson who are forever her pride and joy. Joan enjoyed tending her flower and vegetable gardens. She had a strong faith and a deep devotion to St. Therese, “The Little Flower” and prayed daily for loved ones and friends. Joan loved the ocean and was always up for a trip to Maine for a lobster roll and a slice of blueberry pie at the Maine Diner. Locally, she loved to go to Testos for a good Italian dinner. Joan enjoyed her time spent with friends at many local seniors groups as well as senior events sponsored by the youth at Our Lady of the Assumption Church. She loved all young people and was incredibly proud of and attended all of her granddaughter’s events. Joan was proud of her Polish-American heritage and gladly shared it with her granddaughters singing Sto Lat at every birthday! Joan was an avid reader and often stayed up into the early morning hours to finish a good book. She enjoyed book recommendations from Mackenzie and Rebecca and would read the novels they enjoyed and compare notes in the Hunter Ladies’ Book Club. Conversely the girls schooled Grandma on her iPad. Joan was fiercely independent, living at home until a week before her passing. Her life and her spirit is a gift that will be forever treasured by her loved ones. Please help celebrate her kind and loving spirit and love of flowers by delivering a bouquet to brighten someone else’s day this Spring!
Joan was predeceased by her loving husband Thomas Sanford Hunter, Sr. in 2008, and by her brother Walter Urbanski. She is survived by her sons Thomas, Jr. (Felicia) of Latham; Bruce of Maplewood, and David of Las Vegas. Joan is the proud grandmother of Lauren and Ian Hunter of Colorado and Mackenzie Joan Hunter and Rebecca Hunter of Latham, and adoring aunt to Christopher Hunter of Florida.
A visitation will be held Wednesday, February 12, 2020 from 4 until 7 PM at Bowen and Parker Bros. Funeral Home, Latham. A funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, February 13 at 10 AM at Our Lady of Assumption Church, Latham, with Reverend Geoffrey D. Burke officiating. Interment will take place in the spring in Norton Cemetery, Pittstown. In lieu of flowers donations would be appreciated to Youth Ministry at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 498 Watervliet-Shaker Rd., Latham, NY 12110 or the Norton Cemetery Association, c/o Burke, 209 Moonlawn Rd., Troy, NY 12180.
She lived in Rensselaer as a young child before moving to Watervliet where her family established a neighborhood grocery store at Fifth Avenue and 26th Street. Joan enjoyed running the penny candy counter at the store as a child. She told her granddaughters recently how fortunate her family was during the depression to not want for anything and that her parents always helped their neighbors and customers during those hard years. She attended the Immaculate Conception School and then Watervliet High School where she met the love of her life, Tom. They were married on January 6, 1951 and soon began building their home in Latham. The newlyweds would spend every evening after work laying block for the foundation of their forever home. Joan and Tom were blessed with three sons and the boys were fortunate to have her as their stay-at-home mom. She organized the family’s weekend camping trips to Lake Eaton in the Adirondacks. Joan was a secretary at Siena College and then Saint Colman’s Children’s Day Care Center. After their retirement, Joan and Tom traveled frequently to visit Bruce on the west coast and David in the mid-west. Joan taught us all well with her steadfast loving example of kindness and generosity. Joan’s pride was her family and she has been blessed with three granddaughters and a grandson who are forever her pride and joy. Joan enjoyed tending her flower and vegetable gardens. She had a strong faith and a deep devotion to St. Therese, “The Little Flower” and prayed daily for loved ones and friends. Joan loved the ocean and was always up for a trip to Maine for a lobster roll and a slice of blueberry pie at the Maine Diner. Locally, she loved to go to Testos for a good Italian dinner. Joan enjoyed her time spent with friends at many local seniors groups as well as senior events sponsored by the youth at Our Lady of the Assumption Church. She loved all young people and was incredibly proud of and attended all of her granddaughter’s events. Joan was proud of her Polish-American heritage and gladly shared it with her granddaughters singing Sto Lat at every birthday! Joan was an avid reader and often stayed up into the early morning hours to finish a good book. She enjoyed book recommendations from Mackenzie and Rebecca and would read the novels they enjoyed and compare notes in the Hunter Ladies’ Book Club. Conversely the girls schooled Grandma on her iPad. Joan was fiercely independent, living at home until a week before her passing. Her life and her spirit is a gift that will be forever treasured by her loved ones. Please help celebrate her kind and loving spirit and love of flowers by delivering a bouquet to brighten someone else’s day this Spring!
Joan was predeceased by her loving husband Thomas Sanford Hunter, Sr. in 2008, and by her brother Walter Urbanski. She is survived by her sons Thomas, Jr. (Felicia) of Latham; Bruce of Maplewood, and David of Las Vegas. Joan is the proud grandmother of Lauren and Ian Hunter of Colorado and Mackenzie Joan Hunter and Rebecca Hunter of Latham, and adoring aunt to Christopher Hunter of Florida.
A visitation will be held Wednesday, February 12, 2020 from 4 until 7 PM at Bowen and Parker Bros. Funeral Home, Latham. A funeral Mass will be celebrated Thursday, February 13 at 10 AM at Our Lady of Assumption Church, Latham, with Reverend Geoffrey D. Burke officiating. Interment will take place in the spring in Norton Cemetery, Pittstown. In lieu of flowers donations would be appreciated to Youth Ministry at Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 498 Watervliet-Shaker Rd., Latham, NY 12110 or the Norton Cemetery Association, c/o Burke, 209 Moonlawn Rd., Troy, NY 12180.