Joan Helen McNally

Joan Helen (nee. Reitz) McNally passed away peacefully at home on October 23 the age of 80.

Joan is survived by her husband, Herbert O’Conor McNally, her daughter, Michele Lee McNally Smith and her husband, Scott A. Smith, of Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania; her son, Michael Todd McNally and his wife Aimee W. McNally, of Canton, Connecticut; her grandson, James Edward Colliflower, Jr., and her granddaughters, Katelyn Marie Smith, Sydney Michele Smith, Skylar Kelsey McNally, and Fiona Ireland McNally; sisters Evelyn Marie (nee. Reitz) Sakers of Englewood, Florida, Betty Lou (nee. Reitz) Holtman of Westminster, and Peggy Lynn (nee. Reitz) Bernhardt of Baltimore. She is preceded in death by her brother, Frederick Ernest Reitz, of New Windsor, Maryland.

Joan was born February 24, 1939 in Baltimore, Maryland to Ernest Michael Reitz and Evelyn Marie (nee. Renneker) Reitz. She attended Catonsville High School and married her high school sweetheart, Herb, on October 17, 1959.

Joan was a social butterfly who could strike up a conversation with just about anyone and made lasting connections wherever she went. Her friends and relatives remember her quick wit and infectious laughter, a lighthearted outlook on life, and her unprecedented luck in the Maryland lottery. Her children remember her examples of strength, love and generosity, and inherited her knack for always telling it like it is. A proud woman, she insisted on a tidy home, a family meal every night, and a well-pressed wardrobe. She was an active and dedicated member of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Church in Woodstock, Maryland, where she often volunteered her time at fundraisers, festivals and socials. She also was a member of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians.

The family will receive visitors at Harry H. Witzke’s Family Funeral Home, 4112 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City, Maryland on Sunday, October 27 from 2-4pm and 6-8pm. A Mass of Catholic burial is scheduled for Monday, October 28 at 11am at St. Alphonsus Rodriguez Catholic Church, 10800 Old Court Road in Woodstock, Maryland. Interment will follow at St. Alphonsus Cemetery in Woodstock.

All are welcome to attend and celebrate Joan’s life. To celebrate her love of flowers, arrangements are welcomed, or please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).

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