Joan Elizabeth Maguire's Obituary
Joan Elizabeth Maguire (née Cate), 77, of Evesham, NJ, passed away peacefully on January 14, 2025. Born May 23, 1947 in Baltimore, MD, she was one of four children of the late Lt. Col. Charles V. Cate and Mildred (née Schuster) Cate.
Joan graduated from Bishop Denis O’Connell High School in Arlington, VA, and Our Lady of Good Counsel College in White Plains, NY, in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. A few weeks after graduating, she married James (Jim) Anthony Maguire at the Old Post Chapel in Fort Myer, VA.
She and Jim raised their six children in Tolland, CT, and then Olean, NY, where the couple lived for thirty years. After her youngest son was born, Joan went back to school to attain her Master’s degree in Education from St. Bonaventure. She worked as an educator in many different school districts and capacities throughout her life, including as a special education teacher at Boardmanville Elementary in Olean, NY, and as a resource room teacher at Belfast Central School in Belfast, NY. She was adored by students for her compassion, creative instruction, and drawer of Twizzlers.
Joan cherished spending time with her family, travelling, and giving back. She enjoyed sailing on Cuba Lake and relaxing near the water in Delaware and Kauai. Well-traveled from an early age, she grew up on military bases in Panama, Japan, and Germany; in later years, she explored the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and the United Kingdom, and made pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Medjugorje. Joan was also an active volunteer within the parishes of which she was a devoted member, serving as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Olean, NY, and a religious education teacher at St. Jude the Apostle Church of Lewes, DE.
Joan was the beloved wife of the late James A. Maguire; loving mother of Craig Maguire (Diana), Brian Maguire (Lorna), Matthew Maguire (Ana), Susan Rossman (Jon), Molly Maguire, and Michael Maguire-Khan (Lamiya); cherished grandmother of Travis Maguire, Andrew Maguire, Chris Maguire, Ciara Maguire, Laila Rossman, Brody Rossman, Caden Ezell, Hunter Ezell, and Arlo Ezell; dear sister of Charles I. Cate, Mary Cate Carroll, and Louis Cate; and sister-in-law of Peter Maguire. Joan is also survived by many extended family members and friends who will miss her dearly.
Family and friends are invited to gather on Tuesday, January 21, from 10–11 a.m. at the Catholic Church of St. Mary, 2001 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ. Her mass will begin at 11 a.m. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joan’s memory may be made to the James A. and Joan E. Maguire Family Scholarship Fund: https://cattfoundation.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2551
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