Ms. Joan H. Manning

July 18, 1939 - January 4, 2021

Ms. Joan H. Manning, 81, of Pittsfield, passed away on Monday, January 4, 2021. Born in Hartford, CT, on July 18, 1939, the daughter of the late Lewis and Julia Piorkowski Wetherell, she graduated from Mildred Elly with her degree in bookkeeping. In her earlier career, Joan worked as a parent aide for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. While there, she received several awards from State agencies for the incredible work she did with single mothers and families in distress. After raising three children all on her own, she took that experience to help others less fortunate than herself. She later worked for Berkshire Ambulance in their accounting department. Among many things, she loved walking along Onota Lake, and especially loved the ocean on stormy days with big waves. Joan always made huge holiday meals for her family but was most noted for the Christmas cookies she made each year that family couldn’t wait to eat. Her children and grandchildren were everything to her. She was never more happy than the time she spent with them. Joan is survived by her children, Richard Manning, of Portsmouth, NH, Linda Antonangeli (Ben) of Windsor, MA, and Theresa Fowler, of Pittsfield, MA. She leaves behind her grandchildren, Alexandra Nutting and Drew Fowler as well as her sister, Jackie Sheehan, nephews Joe and Jeff Archer and cousin Dorothy Pysh. The family would also like to thank the staff at Mt Greylock ECF for the incredible care and compassion shown to Joan during her time there. Funeral Notice: Funeral services for Ms. Joan H. Manning will be Friday, January 8. 2021, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph Church, celebrated by the Rev. Jeffrey Archer, Pastor. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery. All attendees of the funeral mass and burial are required to wear face coverings the entire time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund. Donations CANNOT be made online, but may be made through the Dwyer Funeral Home.