Joan's Page

There are several very important things for you to know about this page. First, there probably won't be many, if any, pictures of Joan. Yes, she was my wife, but she did not enjoy having her picture taken...closer to the truth...she hated having her picture taken. If you caught her on a good day, yeah, you stood a chance; it wasn't a particularly good one, but it was a chance. Put a new baby or puppy in her lap, and you just up the odds of getting a shot considerably. Therefore, you may not see any pictures. Some folks are gun shy; Joan was camera shy. There will be pictures at the top that reflect Joan's spirit, the things she enjoyed, the things that brought her happiness. These pages are not meant to be maudlin or a shrine, although it certainly seems to be starting that way. No, this is just my own way of remembering my wife and, hopefully, allowing you to know her a bit better, if that's your thing. It was somewhat surprising to me when, at the wake, a business friend approached and said, "I never met your wife in all the time you and I have known one another. After reading what you wrote for her obituary, I think I now know her, and I'm positive I'd like to have known her better. Thank you."

The second thing you should know is that Joan's favorite color was purple. As a consequence, any page you see related to Joan, will undoubtedly be in some shade of purple. The above illustration, notably in a shade of purple, is from my dear friend in The Netherlands, Marlene de Kort, who can also use our prayers...prayers that she can be forever free of breast cancer. Marlene has just finished the first half of her chemo treatments (October 30, 2008) and all is still going well. Please keep her in your prayers. My "Little Dutchie" was such a wonderful support to us in our time of trouble, that I hope you will ask the Lord to help her get well. To bring you more up to date (November 2009), Marlene appears to be doing very well. Her husband, Bart, has taken early retirement which will enable them to do more hiking and biking around the countries of Europe. Since she likes to go "camera-crazy," that means that I'll be taking the same tours vicariously through her photographs. Thanks to everyone who has offered prayers for Marlene, and thank you, Marlene, for being part of our lives. It just goes to show that distance doesn't have to distort friendships.

One of the great pleasures of our lives have been our dogs. Shortly after we were married, we owned our first and last Dalmatian. Charlie could drive hairs into anything, including the blue suit of the President of Northeastern as we were on our way to lunch one day. Fortunately, he was also a dog owner and understood that dog hairs are just a part of a car's upholstery. Over the years, we were parents to Poodles and piddlers, Huskies, and horrors (including one that jumped off the porch with a leash around it's neck; I swear the damn think was trying to commit suicide.) Our last two dogs have been Cairn Terriers. The first died of cancer at seven years of age. Vikki, pictured to the left, remains my buddy. She was Joan's last dog. It was Vikki who, one evening when Joan was first beginning to feel ill and had not yet been diagnosed, jumped into her lap and began kissing her face. "Well, I guess there must be a problem," Joan noted. Obviously, there was.

Finally, you should know that if Joan thought I was doing this, I can almost guarantee that a bolt of lightning would strike me dead in less than a nanosecond. For me, this is cathartic. For you, it's a chance to look at your differences and ours; your similarities and ours; your life and ours. I think you'll find that we are, none of us, not all that different from one another. We may be 'wired' a bit differently, but deep down, where it really counts, we're just folks.

If you have seen home page of this site before, you are aware that my wife of over 50 years, died on Sunday, June 15, 2008. She passed away peacefully in her sleep. The last two weeks had been miserable for her and her death was a blessing. Once again I would like to thank everyone who has been so thoughtful in writing and those who have kept us in their prayers. The following is Joan's obituary:

Joan Frances (McManus) Bishop

March 22, 1929  - June 15, 2008

Joan Frances (McManus) Bishop of Westwood, formerly of West Newton, June 15, 2008, daughter of the late Francis W. and Anna (Robertson) McManus. Distinguished scholar, dedicated teacher, devoted wife, loving mother, and grandmother. For nearly eight decades you served the needs, wants, dreams, and desires of others., and now, with the Lord as your guide, you have graduated from the trials of this earth and have been granted the ultimate terminal degree, a doctorate in eternal peace. As a scholar, you proudly earned three degrees from Boston University, graduating with honors at each level. As a teacher, you gave of your accumulated wisdom to those still struggling to learn. As a devoted wife to Dick for over 50 years, you shared in the good times and made the harder times more bearable and humorous. Mother of Ann and her husband, Shawn Andrew of North Easton, Richard and his wife, Pamela, of Colorado Springs, CO, and Janet and her husband, John Teehan, of North Easton, you instilled in your children values and ideals that have allowed them to grow into the loving, caring, and remarkable children who are all that any parent could ever desire and who have chosen well in their life partners. You have lived to see the birth of nine grandchildren and, as you often said, “That alone, was worth the price of admission.” Your kind words, sense of humor, and your deep love of family will be sorely missed. We know that you will be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven and be lovingly reunited with your parents and family for ever and ever. Funeral from the George F. Doherty and Sons Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Avenue, Needham, Friday at 9 a.m. Funeral Mass at St Joseph’s Church, Needham, at 10 a.m. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Visiting hours Thursday from 4-8 p.m. Interment Newton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made to the Pan Massachusetts Challenge, 77 Fourth Avenue, Needham, MA, to benefit the Jimmy Fund and the Dana Farber Cancer Research Institute. Parking area adjacent to funeral home.