Obituary of Joan P. Pacelle

Joan P. Pacelle, 85, of Essex, passed away on Wednesday, January 10, 2018, at home. She was born in New Britain, the daughter of Frank and Eleanor Zink, and graduated from New Britain High School. She attended the University of Connecticut, where she met John, her beloved husband of 54 years, who died in 2010. After graduating from the first class to attend UConn's school of physical therapy, she worked for several years at the Connecticut Veterans Home and Hospital in Rocky Hill. She married in 1956 and settled in Essex, where she and her husband built a home that she occupied until the day she died. While raising a family, she returned to the work force and was active for many years as a physical therapist. Upon retirement, she threw herself into a second life as an artist, specializing in pastel vistas of the lower Connecticut River Valley, which she liked to say was one of the most beautiful places on earth. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, Mark and Sara Pacelle of Concord, Mass., Mitchell Pacelle and Laura Schnell of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Katherine Pacelle of Hartford. She was devoted to her five grandchildren, Christopher, Jack, Thomas, Elizabeth and Grace. Visitation will be held Monday, Jan. 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main St., Centerbrook. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, 14 Prospect St., Essex. Interment will follow at Riverview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the charity of your choice. To share a memory of Joan or send a condolence to her family please visit www.rwwfh.com