Joanne Alexandra Moffitt

Joanne Alexandra Moffitt, 77, of Bethlehem, passed away peacefully at home on May 30, 2024. She was the beloved wife of Dr. Augustine E. Moffitt. They were high school sweethearts who were celebrating 57 years of marriage this year.

Born on September 12, 1946, in Pottsville, PA, Joanne was the daughter of Paul Klatko and Susan (Krysak) Klatko. After her father's untimely death, stepfather George Romanko played an important support role in her teenage years, and her younger sister, Christine Romanko, supported her as a life-long friend. Joanne grew up in St. Clair, PA and was a 1964 graduate of Nativity BVM High School and the Coatesville Hospital School of Nursing in 1967, where she was a class officer for three years and received a class leadership award at graduation. Following graduation, she joined her husband in Boston, MA and was a pediatrics nurse at Beth Israel Hospital. They later relocated to Cincinnati, OH, where their daughter was born during Dr. Moffitt's service as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. They relocated to Bethlehem in 1973, when her husband began his career with Bethlehem Steel. After her children reached high school age, Joanne began a second career as a librarian at Notre Dame High School in Easton and a Student Assistance Program advisor. She was also an active member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Bethlehem, where she served as a CCD Religious Education Teacher, and supported various Home and School Association functions.

Joanne was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She always looked for the unique likable, lovable things in each person, and minimized the unlikeable, a trait which made her a valued and trusted friend to many throughout her life. Joanne enjoyed traveling with her husband during his business career in Bethlehem and in the pharmaceutical industry, and later in retirement. Trips to Ireland, Europe, Australia, and Alaska were among her favorite destinations. Summer family vacations in Cape May, NJ were also a treasured memory. In addition to her parents, Joanne was predeceased by two infant brothers, Paul and Joseph.

Survivors: Besides her husband, Joanne is survived by her son Christopher of Bethlehem, daughter Amy and husband Eric Welsh of West Chester, PA, her sister Christine of St. Clair, PA; grandchildren Brandon Moffitt, Allison Moffitt, Grace Welsh, and Sabrina Welsh; and several dear cousins in the Krysak and Romanko families.

Services: A Mass of Christian Burial to celebrate Joanne's life will be held on Friday, June 7, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 2419 Santee Road, Bethlehem. Visitations will be held on Thursday, June 6, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Connell Funeral Home, 245 E. Broad Street, Bethlehem, and again on Friday June 7, from 10 - 11 a.m. at the church. Interment will follow at Holy Saviour Cemetery, Bethlehem.

Contributions: In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Nativity Preservation Support Foundation (Moffitt Scholarship Fund), One Lawtons Hill, Pottsville, PA 17901 or the OLPH Church.

Online condolences may be offered at www.connellfuneral.com.