Joan (Plettenberg) Castelli passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 28. She was 81 years old.

Joan is survived by her daughter Doreen Bickford and her husband Bruce, her son Charles Castelli, Jr., and his wife Sue, and her daughter Barbara Brown and her husband Greg; as well as four grandsons and one granddaughter. She was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Charles Castelli, Sr.

Joan was a graduate of Valley Regional High School and Bay Path College. She was a longtime “lunch lady” at John Winthrop Middle School and Valley Regional High School. She was active in the Chester Hose Company Auxiliary and the Chester Garden Club for many years. She enjoyed tag sales, chatting with friends, and her grandchildren.

An open house will be held in her honor at the Chester Hose Company, 6 High St., Chester, on March 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. Donations in her memory can be made to the Chester Hose Company or the Middlesex Health Cancer Center at www.middlesexhealth.org/donate.