Obituary of Joan Marie Ignasiak

Joan M. Ignasiak, age 84, of Land O' Lakes, Florida passed away on February 19, 2021 at Morton Plant North Hospital in Port Richey, FL. Joan was born and raised in Erie, PA. She moved to Florida in 1998 after retiring from International Paper Company, formerly Hammermill Paper Company, where she had worked as a Purchasing Agent for 40 years. She graduated from McDowell High School in 1955. Later in life she attended Gannon University in Erie, PA and earned her bachelor’s degree. She fulfilled her lifelong dream to be a teacher when she started another career in 1999 at Children's Nest at 61 years of age. Then proceeded to work there for 10+ years.

 

Joan loved to travel. For her 80th birthday she was treated to an extraordinary trip to Ireland, where her parents were born; for her 70^th birthday, a cruise, which included all her children, to several Caribbean countries was also gifted by her daughter, Linda. She loved reading, storytelling, coloring adult coloring books, working on her word search books, and traditionally called everyone on their birthdays to sing to them off key, which everyone looked forward to and laughed about. She loved swimming in the pool, attending plays & musicals, collecting portraits of family & friends, watching Hallmark & the Food channels, and reading to children while wearing her story telling hat.  She had a fondness for butterflies and roosters. She was known for her patience, acceptance of everyone, her sense of humor and her taste for port wines. Everyone who met her instantly loved her. Her family has so many wonderful loving memories of her, particularly, at the Annual Family Picnic coordinating the children’s games such as potato sack races, balloon toss and many more.

 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Hubert, and Clara (Furey) Percy of Erie, PA; her siter-in-law, Janet Percy of Waterford, PA and her brother-in-law, Walter Pilc of Castile, NY. Survived by her brothers, John Percy of Erie, PA, Pauline Percy of Waterford, PA, Robert Percy of Waterford, PA, Dan Percy and his wife Rosemary of Wattsburg, PA, a sister Marguerite aka Bunny Pilc of Castile, NY, and a cousin/ honorary sister Linda Benjamin of Erie, PA also many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

 

Joan was also preceded in death by her ex-husband, Paul P. Ignasiak of Erie, PA; survived by her son, Paul A. Ignasiak of Holiday, FL; 3 daughters, Andrea Hayes of Deer Trail, CO, Linda Ignasiak and Mark Yaremchuk of Tampa, FL, and Brenda Powell and her husband Matthew Powell of Port Richey, FL; 4 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren, Aria Schwartz and her husband Albert  and their 3 sons, Atom, Asher and Ayden, Kerby Hayes, James Brawn and his wife Candice and their son, Lucas and daughter, Bianca, Christopher Brawn and his wife, Christine. 

 

Joan is loved & missed by so many family members & friends. A wake will take place from 1:00 pm to 4pm on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at The Manor at Stark Farms 6930 Lutz Lake Fern Road, Odessa, FL 33556 for all family members in the area, friends and co-workers who would like to pay their respects. We would like to say a special thanks to John Zumwalt for his generosity by letting us use his beautiful mansion and property. A second wake will take place in Erie, PA in August 2021 and her remains will be placed in her final resting place of Wintergreen Gorge Columbarium. More details will be released later, or you can contact the family for more information regarding the particulars.

 

In lieu of flowers, she wished to have any donations made to Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O' Lakes, FL or the Metropolitan Ministries.

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