Joan Raidy Gallagher of Telford, PA peacefully passed away on June 24, 2025 surrounded by members of her loving family.  She was 96.

Joan was predeceased by her beloved husband, Frank, and dear brother, Jack "Bud" Raidy.  She was a valiant and courageous breast cancer survivor and, much to the joy and relief of her family and friends, lived and flourished an additional 50 years beyond that battle to continue to add her unique light to this world.

Born in Philadelphia on May 4, 1929 to her wonderful parents, the late Alice Helfer and Edmund Raidy, Joan grew up in Philadelphia, Mount Vernon, NY and Wilmington, DE.   In addition to other schools, she attended St. Bartholomew's Elementary and St. Hubert's High School in Philadelphia, where she played the bassoon for the school's orchestra, was in the Glee Club and graduated from there with honors in 1947.

Joan was granted a full academic scholarship to attend Immaculata University where she majored in Chemistry and minored in Math, was elected president of her class, performed with the orchestra and Glee Club as well as the Villanova University Concert Band and graduated with honors in 1951.  She was recruited to work for Dupont de Nemours, Inc. where she played with the Dupont Employees' Concert Band, was on the Band's Board of Trustees and on the Membership Committee of the American Chemical Society. While working at Dupont, she went on to achieve her Masters in Library Science at Drexel University.

During her career as a Chemical Librarian for Dupont from 1951-1961, she married her cherished Francis "Frank" Gallagher in 1959  After retiring from Dupont in 1961, she happily became a stay at home mom and she and Frank both devotedly and lovingly raised their four children:  Laureen (Joe), Mark (Stoph), Brian (Kathleen) and Colin (Laurie).  She was Mom-Mom to Brendan, Kyle, Conor (Laureen/Joe), Alexa (Brian/Kathleen), Shane and Brady (Colin/Laurie) and Mimi to Heidi (Brendan/Heather).

Along the way, both she and Frank always made time to give their kids enriching experiences like taking them into historic Philadelphia to acquaint them with the city's vital place in American history.

She and Frank retired to the family's longtime vacation town of Ocean City, NJ in 1996.  While there, she was Secretary of the North End Civic Association and also served on their Fundraising Committee, particularly valuing their work towards the purchase of mobile beach chairs for the disabled. She was originally a member of the AAUW Book Club but then branched off and began another book club in Ocean City which flourished for 20+ years and fostered many beautiful friendships. She also participated for 27 years in the Bible Study associated with her parish, St. Frances Cabrini.  She lived in Ocean City until she relocated to Telford in Bucks County, PA in 2023. Joan's last 2+ years were spent at the Lutheran Community of Telford where she thrived and flourished under the care of all of the loving, wonderful staff.

Having spent part of her early years in New York where her parents would frequently take her and her brother into Manhattan, she loved to visit, share stories and take in the vibrancy of NYC.

Joan adored music and, in her final days, was even lightly singing along with the American Standards that she loved.  She played the piano and had a gorgeous singing voice leading her to join the choir at her family's parish, Our Lady of Calvary in Northeast Philadelphia.

She was always guided by her strong Catholic faith, daily rosary prayer and being a consistent "prayer warrior" for her family and many others.

Joan loved to travel with Frank and they enjoyed special trips to Ireland, France, Italy, Switzerland and many places throughout the US and Canada. She enjoyed family road trips and just going for "rides" (including in and around her last residence in the beautiful rolling hills of Bucks County), maps, trees, watching the seasons change, spotting wildlife and skygazing (never missing a dramatic cloud formation).  Her family owned an ice cream shop during her high school years where she developed an undying devotion to that particular frozen treat. In her later years, she was a connoisseur of…soups…of all kinds never saying "no" to the possibility of trying one (fall, winter, spring AND summer).  She adored her own animals (Bridget, Shawn, Kerry, Cinders, China Doll being important members of her family along the way) plus the various pets of her children and grandchildren.

Joan was absolutely revered for her unswerving positivity, boundless generosity, unending curiosity, gentleness and her truly incredible gift of conversation and connection.  She was very quiet with all of this but the example of her character that others witnessed was undeniable.  Her selflessness was unmatched.  She never wanted the spotlight on herself and always made whoever she was talking to--whether a friend, family member or even, for instance, someone that was serving food at a restaurant--feel like they were valued, cherished, that they mattered and were the center of the universe while she was spending time with them.

Joan was a unique and luminous human being and an extremely strong role model for her family and beyond.  She is already so very deeply missed and appreciated by all who had the good fortune to encounter her but...her truly inspiring spirit profoundly lives on in us all.

Thank you, Joan--a powerful and amazing mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, friend and neighbor--for allowing us to be the recipients of the glow of a life extremely well-lived.

We will love and remember you always…

Relatives and friends are invited to attend her viewing on Wednesday morning from 9:30 to 11:00 am., followed by her Funeral Mass at 11:00 am., at Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Church, 1325 Upper state Rd., North Wales, PA  19454.

Interment will be on Thursday, July 10 at 11:00 am., at the Cape May County Veterans Cemetery in Cape May Court House, NJ

We ask that any donations in Joan's name be made to the Benevolent Fund at the Lutheran Community at Telford. Visit www.graceinspiredliving.org or mail check for the fund to Alyssa Guers, Director of Development, 12 Lutheran Home Drive, Telford, PA 18969.