Joanne (Walsh) Surgeon

Joanne (Walsh) Surgeon, 81, of Middletown passed away at home on Wednesday, November 22, 2017. Born in Hartford, CT, on April 2, 1936, Joanne was the daughter of the late John and Ann (Flynn) Walsh. A graduate of Hall High School in West Hartford, University of Vermont, and the Katherine Gibbs School in Boston, she was an intelligent and independent woman.Joanne began her career in advertising working for Humphrey, Brown, McDougall in Boston and then as a customer quality analyst at the Davol Biomedical Company in Cranston, RI. An avid reader, she would scour three newspapers a day and was an active board member of the Friends of Middletown Library. She was a supporter of the Audubon Society and would enjoy walking near ocean marshes to spot various birds during each season. She leaves her sister Jane M. Bethoney of Dayville, CT, along with two nieces and their husbands; Jessica and George Downey of Arlington, MA and Meghan and Brian Lee of Lahaina, HI and her nephew Justin Bethoney and his partner Heather Benson of Hermosa Beach, CA. She left four grand-nephews, Matthew Downey, Jeffrey Downey, Chase Lee, and Lennox Bethoney along with a grand-niece, Emma Lee. A private service will be held at Mount Saint Benedict Cemetery in Bloomfield, CT.Donations may be made in her memory to the Massachusetts Audubon Association in Lincoln, MA or Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Inc in New York, NY.