Joan Parks Donovan - Obituary

oan Parks Donovan, 88, passed away peacefully on March 31 at home surrounded by love. Born on February 25, 1932 in North East, PA to the late Marion and Raymond Parks, Joan graduated from North East High School in 1950, attended Grove City College and completed her education at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH in 1955 where she received a BS degree in nursing. After graduation she worked as a Visiting Nurse in the Cleveland medical system for three years until she met her future husband at a friend’s wedding. In 1958 Joan married Daniel E. Donovan of Hershey, PA, a Naval Officer serving on a submarine based in New London, CT. They traveled and moved frequently during Dan’s 28-year naval career until he retired in 1985 and they settled in the Gingerville Community in Edgewater, MD. In 2016 Joan and Dan re-located to the BayWoods Retirement Community in Annapolis, MD. Joan loved her family and friends, visits with her grandchildren, antiques, flower gardens, music and sports. She was active in Garden Club events and a devoted member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Survivors include her husband, Dan; her three children; Capt. Daniel G. (Janet) Donovan, USN, Ret. of Camp Hill, PA; Patrick E. (Jody) Donovan of Panama City Beach, FL.; Elizabeth D. (Keith) Sappington of Riva, MD; her sister Janet (Jack) Hetherington of Phoenix, AZ; her eight grandchildren; Kate (Steven) McCord, Jackie (Kyle) Sullivan, Bridget, Molly, Meredith and Mia Grace Donovan, Anna and James Sappington; and her niece, Carrie (Alan) Lockuff of Cornelius, NC. She was preceded in death by her older sister, Jean Parks and her granddaughter, Megan Dorothy Donovan. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Monday, July 6 at 9 am at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 620 N. Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD. Interment will immediately following the service at the Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that remembrances be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or www.alz.org. Condolences may be made by using the Memory Wall link on this page.