Joanne I. Tierney, 78, social services worker and community volunteer
In both her career and volunteer work, Mrs. Tierney dedicated herself to helping others. She will be remembered for her compassion, warmth, and generosity, her family said.
Joanne I. Tierney, 78, of Villanova, a social-services worker and community volunteer, died Friday, Feb. 15, of cancer at her home.
Mrs. Tierney was born on Valentine’s Day 1941 in New Haven, Conn., to Nichola and Anna Izzo.
She graduated from Wilbur Cross High School in New Haven in 1958. After moving to King of Prussia, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1975 from Rosemont College and a master’s degree in counseling from Villanova University in 1982.
She dedicated herself to social service work, first as a counselor to unwed parents at Catholic Social Services in Norristown and, starting in 1977, as a social worker and counselor at Sacred Heart Hospital, also in Norristown.
She rose to director of Sacred Heart’s social services department in 1984, and was respected by her colleagues for being a strong patient advocate, her family said.
Sacred Heart closed in 1994 due to financial problems. She worked briefly at Abington Hospital before joining the staff at Waverly Heights, a retirement community in Gladwyne. She became director of Waverly’s social services department and remained in that role until retiring in 2001.
In addition to her career, Mrs. Tierney was a busy volunteer. One of her most gratifying projects, she told family, was her work at Mothers’ Home, a crisis pregnancy facility in Darby Borough, where she served as a board member and devoted many hours to working with the residents.
When the home’s kitchen was remodeled in 2017, it was named for her.
Mrs. Tierney was a longtime member of St. Thomas of Villanova Parish in Rosemont. She served as a Eucharistic minister at the church and at Rosemont Presbyterian Village, a nearby senior facility. She took Communion to home-bound parishioners and interacted with them on a personal level.
“She will be fondly remembered for her compassion, warmth and generosity,” the family said.
In addition, Mrs. Tierney volunteered as an ombudswoman for the Montgomery County Office on Aging and Adult Services, and as secretary of the Lower Merion-Narberth Youth Aid Panel. The panel plays a supportive role in the adjudication of nonviolent first-time juvenile offenders.
Mrs. Tierney met her husband, Paul, an engineer and later a high school physics teacher, at Yale University. They married in 1962, raised their children in King of Prussia, and moved to Villanova in 1979.
After their daughters finished college, the couple toured Antarctica, the Baltic countries, Central America, Europe, Africa, Turkey, Egypt, and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Her favorite vacation spot was a Caribbean-style cottage on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mrs. Tierney enjoyed gardening, spending time with family, and entertaining.
Her neighbor Marty Horton said: “She hosted some of our first neighborhood block parties. Children went swimming in their pool, and Joanne and Paul always made everyone feel welcome.”
Mrs. Tierney made a special version of lasagna with several kinds of cheese. Horton said it was the best lasagna she ever tasted.
In addition to her husband of 56 years, Mrs. Tierney is survived by daughters Susan Mezger and Elizabeth Weinstein; four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
A visitation starting at 8:30 a.m. Monday, March 4, will be followed by a 10 a.m. Funeral Mass at the Rosemont Chapel of St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, 1229 W. Lancaster Ave., Rosemont. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.
Memorial donations may be made to Mothers’ Home, 51 N. MacDade Blvd., Darby, Pa. 19023.