Joanne Moss

Joanne Van Gelderen Moss, 71, died peacefully at her home in Southborough on May 8 after a long and courageous 10-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. In the weeks leading up to her passing, she was surrounded by her many friends and the love and devoted care of her family.

Joanne was born Feb. 19, 1955, in Garden City, New York. She attended Garden City schools for 12 years and enrolled at Villanova University, graduating in 1977 with a degree in business administration. While at Villanova, she met her husband, Bob Moss, an engineering student, and they were married one year later. They resided in Hopkinton, Westborough and finally Southboro. Bob started a real estate development company, and they worked side by side for 35 years until retiring in 2019.

Joanne and Bob also shared a love for Cape Cod, particularly Chatham. They called Chatham their second home, with their last house being the restoration of a 1790 historic house facing Stage Harbor. Bob designed everything outside, and Joanne everything inside. The house is filled with many of her own paintings. She had a great eye for decor, and it showed throughout all their homes. She loved filling vases with fresh flowers from the garden, walking along the beaches and savoring the salt air. She was an avid cook and was well known for her large variety of delicious soups. It’s all about the soup!

Joanne had a great many friends, and that will be what she is most remembered for. She never took sides, never talked about politics and always created a special relationship with everyone. There were many weekend sleepovers with 10 or 12 girlfriends known as the Capers, when lifelong friends gathered like it was a high school slumber party. Joanne will be dearly missed by all her friends. Joanne is survived by her husband of 49 years, Bob; daughter Sarah of Ojai, California; son Brendan and wife Lauren along with two beautiful granddaughters, Mia and Paige, in Mendon; brother Gregory in Ave Maria, Florida; sister and brother-in-law Janet and Tom Moss in Upton; sister and brother-in-law Jane and John Roach in Southington, Connecticut; aunt Phylis in Garden City, New York; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.

Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend visiting hours at the Chiampa Funeral Home in Shrewsbury on Wednesday, May 13, from 4-7 p.m. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Matthew’s Parish in Southborough on Thursday, May 14, at 11 a.m. Those attending the Mass are asked to go directly to church.

Joanne will be missed by all who knew her. May she rest in eternal peace.

Obituaries are submissions, typically from funeral homes, that are not subject to the same level of editorial oversight as the rest of the Hopkinton Independent. Obituaries may be edited for grammatical and factual mistakes and clarifications and shortened for space considerations.