Joan Marie Benjamin

Joan Marie (McDonough) Benjamin, age 83, died peacefully at her home on December 4, 2024, following a lengthy illness.  A proud native of New Jersey, she was born in Newark on July 7, 1941 to the late Ruth (Everett) McDonough and Richard Aloysius McDonough, Jr.  Joan was educated at Our Lady of Sorrows School in South Orange, New Jersey; Bayley-Ellard School in Madison, New Jersey; and Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. 

The eldest of eight siblings and 45 first cousins (on one side), Joan was the center of a sprawling, loving Irish-American family.  In 1964 she married the love of her life, James J. Benjamin, M.D., and they raised six wonderful children together.  Joan spent the first five years of her married life in the Bronx, where Jim pursued his medical training at Montefiore Hospital, after which she moved to the “new city” of Columbia, Maryland, where she resided with Jim for the next 54 years.

Joan was passionately devoted to her family.  With her expansive smile, infectious warmth, and boundless energy, she created a home that was filled with activity and laughter.  Joan provided her family with unconditional love, but she also set high standards.  She expected everyone around her to work hard, be organized, help others, and do their best at all times and under all circumstances.    

In her mid-40s, when her youngest child had started elementary school, Joan earned an accounting degree from Howard Community College and then successfully managed Jim’s medical practice for many years.  She brought to the job her meticulous organizational skill, her warm and caring demeanor, and a fighter’s mentality that left many an insurance company wishing they had not denied coverage.     

A natural athlete, Joan was an accomplished golfer and tennis player and a fitness enthusiast who was a staple at Body Pump in Clarksville well into her 80s.  Some of her happiest moments were bringing her daughters and granddaughters to Body Pump and introducing them to her many friends there.  She was an expert skier who bravely ventured onto black diamond runs at Vail well into her 70s.  On June 11, 2006, she had a hole-in-one on the 11th hole at Hobbit’s Glen – a feat that has not been replicated by any of her family members.  Some of her happiest times were swimming in the ocean and chatting on the beach, surrounded by family, in her beloved Sea Girt, New Jersey.

One of Joan’s great legacies is her recipe collection.  She prepared a home-cooked meal every night for nearly 60 years, almost always with a fresh-baked dessert item to accompany it.  Nothing made her happier than serving her delicious special lasagna (or spaghetti and meatballs) to an overflowing table of children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors.  Her chocolate chip cookies were legendary.  She baked them in prodigious quantities and kept the U.S. Postal Service fully occupied with deliveries to her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

For more than 50 years, Joan was a faithful member of St. John the Evangelist parish in Columbia, where she served as a lector, eucharistic minister, and member of the parish council.  A transformative moment occurred in 1976, when she bathed in the waters at Lourdes and thereafter was blessed with her three youngest children.

Christmas was a particularly special time for Joan.  Every other year, she welcomed all 30+ members of her family into her home for an “FBE” (Full Benjamin Experience).  The happy chaos of those FBE Christmas mornings will never be matched.

Joan leaves her loving husband, James J. Benjamin, M.D.; children James J. Benjamin, Jr. (Jessica), Deborah B. Knoll (Tommy), Christopher (Allison), Amy Lawson (Peter), Jennifer Stanton (Ryan), and Patrick (Andrea); grandchildren Grace Walters (Charlie); Joe, Charlie, and Faye Benjamin; Julianna and Thomas Knoll; Cailey, Anna, and Everett Benjamin; Sara, Clare, Luke, and Bryce Lawson; Everly and Emilia Stanton; and Max and Stella Benjamin; and great-granddaughter Elizabeth Walters.  She is survived by her sisters Dianne McDonough, Colleen McDonough (Helen Hooke), Nancy Hall (Tim), and Cayte McDonough (Deb Donaldson) and her brothers Bill McDonough (Anne) and David McDonough (Barbara), as well as a list of loving nieces, nephews, and in-laws that is far too long to be recounted here. She was predeceased by her beloved brother, Richard Aloysius McDonough III.  

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Catholic Relief Services at Memorial Donations | Catholic Relief Services in memory of Joan.