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Joanne Caldera, a beautiful person inside and out, went home to Jesus on Friday evening, March 18, 2022 at the age of 82. Joanne was born to the late Mary and John Venuti of North Tarrytown (Sleepy Hollow) on October 21, 1939. She was the oldest of three children. Joanne attended St. Teresa Grammar School and Our Lady of Victory High School in her hometown. Throughout the years she often recalled the memory of how her and her sister would walk everyday up a very steep hill (Cobb Lane) to attend school. After high school she attended Berkley Secretarial School. Upon graduation she obtained her first job at Sonotone Corporation in Elmsford. While at Sonotone, a coworker asked if she would want to meet a boy from Ossining, NY who was currently in the Navy, named Bill Caldera. Joanne agreed and their first date was at a Stepinac Alumni Dance. At the end of the night, this boy professed that he was going to marry her and did so on May 6, 1961. Three children were born from this union. In December 1964, they moved from North Tarrytown to a little town that Joanne fell in love with named Thornwood, NY and purchased a house that they made their forever home. While raising a family she volunteered to teach religious education classes at Holy Rosary, served as a Cub Scout Leader, volunteered at Rosary Hill Home and spent many years volunteering at Burke Rehabilitation Center where she was recognized as “Volunteer of the Year”. As the children grew older, she held various occupations…working part-time in real estate, secretary at JCCA, and a personal assistant in a private home. Joanne’s last employment was as an Administrator in the Medical Sciences Building at New York Medical College for 14 years before retiring in 2001. Joanne continued her contributions to the community as a member and past Vice President of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary and a very active member of the Mount Pleasant Italian American Club. Her biggest honor was that November 12, 2015 was proclaimed “Joanne Caldera Day” by the Westchester County Board of Legislators. Joanne’s interests included family, reading, swimming, and playing cards or Mahjong with her wonderful friends (The Queens)! She devoted much of her time and energy as a caregiver to family members. She was a loving and caring person, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend, always thinking of others first. Joanne was a good and faithful servant, always praying for others, devoted to her faith. Of all her accomplishments, the 5 that Joanne is most proud of is her 5 Grandsons, Henry Thomas and JonCarlo Hernandez-Lopez, Joseph, Justyn and Vincent Mikulewicz. Joanne would say that she always wished for 5 boys and God gave her just that in her beautiful grandsons. Nothing gave her more joy than when she was with them. She is so proud of the men and young men that they have become and was always their biggest fan. They will always remember her inspiring words… “You can do it!”
Her life will forever be cherished in the lives of her children: Mary Jo and her husband Henry Hernandez- Lopez, William Caldera Jr. and Dina and her husband Joe Mikulewicz, her grandsons, her sister Dianne Chipman, her nieces and nephews and many others who will always hold Joanne forever in their hearts! She was pre-deceased by her brother John Venuti who cherished her dearly.
Family and friends are invited to Pleasant Manor Funeral Home, Inc. 575 Columbus Avenue Thornwood, New York 10594 on Monday, March 21, 2022 from 3:00 - 7:00 PM for visitation. Join us in celebrating her life on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at Holy Innocent's Church in Pleasantville at 10:00 AM. Joanne will be laid to rest alongside her loving husband Bill, who pre-deceased her on January 12, 2011, at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, family and friends are asked to consider a donation in her memory to St. Francis
Breadline at Donate to Franciscan Bread For The Poor stfrancisbreadline.org or Hospice Care in Westchester and Putnam www.hospicecarenetwork.org.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joanne (Venuti) Caldera, please visit our floral store.