Joanne Marie Wholey

Joanne Marie (Ronca) Wholey, 67, of Bloomfield, CT, passed away on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 after a long illness. She was the loving wife of the late Kevin A. Wholey, who passed away unexpectedly last October. Daughter of the late William M. Ronca and the late Marie A. (LaFreniere) Ronca, she was born in Medford, MA on August 13, 1956, and was raised in Medford. Joanne graduated from Medford High School, class of 1974, where she made several life-long friends. She attended several colleges, graduating from North Adams State College in 1978 and had a diverse career, including waitress, singer, social worker, dog groomer and human resources administrator. Her life’s journey brought her to Florida twice, but she could never tolerate the summers. This was fortunate, or else she would never have met her husband, Kevin. He was the love of her life, and her best friend for over 30 years of marriage. Together, they made their home in Bloomfield CT, where they took joy in the raising of their many springer spaniels, a beagle and a rescue whippet and two rescue horses they had over the past years. Joanne found her true calling as a counselor. With Kevin’s support she attained her Master's Degree in Psychology from the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford. For the past 17 plus years, she had a private practice, where she specialized in mood disorders, trauma, pet loss and bereavement. She also specialized in equine facilitated therapy. When not working, they enjoyed traveling to far off places like Alaska, Africa, Europe and Iceland. They also enjoyed heading down to New York City to catch a Broadway show and see the sights or up to the beaches of Maine. Joanne was a rabid UConn women’s basketball fan. She and Kevin enjoyed attending games and rooting for “the girls”. They travelled to many NCAA tournaments to root for their adopted team. Joanne is survived by her brother William Ronca and his wife Marybeth (Godfrey) Ronca of Casco, ME, her sister-in-law, Maryellen (Wholey) Halibozek and her husband Stanley Halibozek of West Hartford, CT; brother-in-laws Brien John Wholey and his wife Julia (Herbst) Wholey of Canton, CT; Timothy Gerard Wholey of Boston, MA and Neal Thomas Wholey of Colchester, CT. Joanne also had several nieces; Alexandra (Ronca) Gunther of Charlestown, MA; Elizabeth Ronca of Newburyport, MA; and Jessica Ronca of Beverly, MA and a nephew: Mark Halibozek of East Hampton, CT; Nina Wholey of Canton, CT and Eryn Wholey of Colchester, CT, as well as great nieces Indigo and Mina Gunther of Charlestown, MA. Joanne also leaves behind her two springer spaniels: Harry and Elsa and her horse Rupert. A joint celebration of Joanne’s and Kevin’s lives will be held on Saturday, May 18 at the Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT. Visiting hours will be from 1:00 – 3:00 PM followed by interment at the Fairview Cemetery, 200 Whitman Ave., West Hartford. Both the Ronca and Wholey families appreciate and thank all the friends and loved ones who have expressed their sympathy and kind words over Joanne and Kevin’s passing. They ask that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in their names to the Connecticut Humane Society. Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.molloyfuneralhome.com