Joan Pelmas

Joan Caroline (Pittam) Pelmas passed away on January 12th, 2020. She was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. Showing marked precocity while attending the all-girls Walton High School, she graduated two years early and had to get special working papers from the city of New York in order to enter the job market at 16. In 1952, she set out for Europe on the steamship Ile de France with a high school friend, a remarkable adventure uncommon for that time. She met her future husband, Warren Pelmas, at a company picnic to which he had invited three women. It seems she won. Together for 56 years, they raised four children, moved to Seattle and then back to settle in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, the home of her heart. She became a licensed realtor once the kids were in school and her local knowledge was legion. Many of her clients became her neighbors and friends. After retirement, she and Warren enjoyed winters in Fort Pierce, Florida, and pool time with the grandchildren. She will be remembered for her love of family, her ability to charm everyone from the janitor to the judge, her sharp sense of humor, and the grace with which she faced her final years. She was predeceased by Warren in 2011, and leaves four proud children, Richard of Salinas, Puerto Rico, Carol (David Hawley) of Lake Oswego, Oregon, John of Chicopee, Mass, and Robert (Nancy) of North Reading, Mass. She also leaves five beloved grandchildren, Emily, Ben, Caleb, Ethan and Henry. A private grave side service will be held. A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date. “If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett