Posted on 05/30/2018
JOAN MARIE LIDEL (July 6, 1930 - May 22, 2018)
Joan M. Lidel died of cerebrovascular disease in Vero Beach, Florida on May 22, 2018. She was 87 years old.
Joan was born in Hoboken, NJ on July 6, 1930, the daughter of Aloysius and Mary Bruder. She grew up in Elizabeth, NJ and graduated from Wood Secretarial School in New York City. Throughout her life she was a devoted member of the Roman Catholic Church, practicing her religion fully. She taught Christian doctrine to young children at St. Teresa parish in Summit, NJ. She was an active volunteer at Overlook Hospital with the Twigs volunteer organization.
In 1953, she married Daniel T. Higgins and they had two daughters, Cynthia and Alison. They resided in Summit, NJ where she was a wonderful, loving and inspirational mother. Daniel Higgins passed away suddenly of a heart attack in 1974.
In 1979, she married Capt. Carl J. Lidel US Navy. They lived in England for their first three years and traveled extensively throughout Europe. They had a mutual love for travel with in-depth visits to foreign lands. In total they visited more than 70 countries.
She had a long and deep love for Martha’s Vineyard, spending summers there for over forty years. In later years, she spent winters in Vero Beach and in 2016 she began living there full time.
Joan had a passion for cooking and was a marvelous cook. She experienced great joy cooking for both small and large dinner parties. Her favorite reading materials were food magazines and her extensive library of cookbooks.
She is survived and will be greatly missed by her husband Carl, sister Barbara Scherer and brother in-law Frank Scherer, daughters Cynthia Williams and Alison DiPanfilo, son in-law Mark DiPanfilo and three grandchildren Daniel, Christine and R. Scott Williams. She also leaves two dear nieces, Deborah O’Keefe and Denise Sweeney and their families.
A funeral Mass will be held at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church in Summit, NJ on Friday, June 1, 2018 at 10:45am. Burial will be private at The United States Naval Academy Columbarium in Annapolis, MD.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity that is close to your heart.
Strunk Funeral Home - Vero Beach
916 17th Street
Vero Beach, FL 32960
772-562-2325
http://strunkfuneralhome.com/memsol.cgi?user_id=2108161