Obituary of Joan M Kraft

Joan Marilyn Kraft, daughter of Michael and Camilla (Longo) Ambrosio, passed away peacefully at Visiting Nurse Service & Hospice of Suffolk – Hospice House on September 20, 2023. 

Joan was born on January 19, 1937 in Elmont, New York and grew up as one of five children in a boisterous, loving home. She graduated from Sewanhaka High School and went on to study at St. John’s University, hosting the occasional party during snowstorms at her parents’ home in Malverne. 

After completing her course of study, Joan went on to a long and successful career as a bookkeeper for banks, automobile dealerships and private companies, retiring after working for the Town of Hempstead (but then working for a family-ownedcompany right up until the time of her passing). The friends she gathered over the years were near and dear to her heart, and she loved to share tales of her experiences, generally in a halo of laughter. 

Joan married John Henry Kraft in 1962 and ultimately settled back in Elmont, where they raised their daughter Marilyn in a warm, close-knit neighborhood, shuttling back and forth to her parents’ home in Florida and again collecting friends along the way. After her retirement, she joined Marilyn, her son-in-law,and ultimately her grandchildren in Greenlawn, and became Granny to a large collection of Long Island kids – her grandchildren as well as their friends and teammates. Along with her siblings, she hosted a number of huge family barbecues that drew guests from around New York, New Jersey and Connecticut and as far away as Florida.

Joan was predeceased by her parents and brother Frank (Ann),sister Madeline (Joe) Lepore, sister Loretta (Bob) Brienza,brother-in-law Jack Farino, and sister- and brother-in-law Joan and Jack Wemmlinger. She is survived by her daughter Marilyn (Tom) Hall; grandchildren Colin Hall (and fiancée Dorothy McGee) and Sarah Hall; sister Gloria Farino; and a huge, loud, loving, hugging collection of godchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Christmas Eves were incredible. 

The family will receive friends at M.A. Connell Funeral Home, 934 New York Avenue, Huntington, on Sunday, September 24 from 5pm until 9pm. A funeral mass will be held at St. Francis in Greenlawn on Monday, September 25 at 10am, followed by interment at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury. 

In lieu of flowers or donations, the family asks that you cook a huge meal and gather around the table with the people you love the most. Laugh a lot, yell at each other, then laugh a lot more. Make sure you all hug at the end of the dinner, then spend 45 minutes or an hour saying good night.