JoAnn C. Spinelli D'Arrigo, Esquire, beloved wife, mother, sister and most remarkable matriarch to her family, passed away on Thursday, June 1 in her seventy-eighth year, after a prolonged and valiant struggle against numerous health problems. JoAnn was the eldest daughter of the late Joseph Spinelli Sr. and Evelyn-May (Bue).
Born in Vineland, New Jersey on August 1, 1939 JoAnn was raised in a very humble household that required her support from an early age. As the eldest of the four Spinelli children, JoAnn was more than equal to the task due largely to her precocious spirit, high intelligence and devotion to family. Always an excellent student, JoAnn excelled throughout her scholastic years, and was elected to the National Honor Society in her freshman year and maintained an excellent record throughout. JoAnn was an archetype of both Brains and Beauty in an era of 1950's America. She was elected "Miss Monogram" for Vineland High School in her senior year (1956) as an acknowledgement of her character, leadership, beauty and personality. Her high school sweetheart and future husband was Arthur D'Arrigo, star athlete of Vineland High. The couple were married in 1959 and soon relocated to Virginia where Art was attending the University of Richmond on a four-year football scholarship.
JoAnn's academic career was put on hold as she became mother to three sons, and she and her family relocated to Pittsburgh, PA following her husband's career.
JoAnn's thirst for education and achievement however, strove her to attend the University of Pittsburgh while raising her sons and managing the household. She additionally tested for and was enrolled into the Mensa International Society.
After graduating Pitt, she was recommended to Duquesne University Law School and completed her law degree in 1974. Upon passing the bar, and partnering with another female attorney in private practice, JoAnn was offered and accepted a position as Assistant District Attorney for the City of Pittsburgh in 1976.
Additionally, JoAnn found time for activism, becoming a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) where she participated in a number of actions and demonstrations forwarding the cause of women's issues. Inadvertently in 1976, she became the subject of a regional attention when in the course of her normal duties as a District Attorney; JoAnn appeared in court dressed in a "Stylish Grey Pantsuit" that prompted the sitting judge to ban her from his courtroom as a "distraction". This event occurred in the presence of the local press, who made a sensation out of the incident…such were the times concerning women's rights.
Despite the attention, and pressure from her NOW colleagues, JoAnn's focus was not on headlines, but in raising and attending to the needs of her family. Those needs brought her family back to its origins in Cumberland County, New Jersey and were she and the family eventually relocated in Bridgeton, NJ.
JoAnn established her own firm in 1977 with a focus on family law. Her son Cris later joined her in the practice under the name D'Arrigo & D'Arrigo in 1989.
JoAnn continued practicing law until her retirement in 2008 as health issues began to increasingly affect her life. Throughout her retirement, JoAnn continued to be a pillar of strength to her family during periods of both happiness and loss. Her unending devotion and love to family was perhaps the strongest among the impressive list of her personal qualities.
Mrs. D'Arrigo was pre-deceased by her husband Arthur in 2011, and her mother Evelyn in 2016. JoAnn is survived by a grateful family including her sons, Thomas J. D'Arrigo of Bridgeton, Judge Criston P. D'Arrigo (MaryAnn) of Hopewell Township, Arthur G. D'Arrigo Jr. (Lucia) of Pittsburgh. She is also survived by brothers Joseph Spinelli Jr., Ronald S. Spinelli Sr., Michael G. Spinelli all of Vineland as well as seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to Mrs. D'Arrigo's viewing at the Freitag Funeral Home, 137 W. Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ on Tuesday evening, June 6th, from 6 until 9:00 pm. The Funeral Liturgy will be held at Christ the Good Shepperd Parish / Sacred Heart R.C. Church, 1010 E. Landis Avenue in Vineland, Wednesday morning June 7th at 10 o'clock where friends will be received from 9 until 10.
The interment will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Vineland.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.
Born in Vineland, New Jersey on August 1, 1939 JoAnn was raised in a very humble household that required her support from an early age. As the eldest of the four Spinelli children, JoAnn was more than equal to the task due largely to her precocious spirit, high intelligence and devotion to family. Always an excellent student, JoAnn excelled throughout her scholastic years, and was elected to the National Honor Society in her freshman year and maintained an excellent record throughout. JoAnn was an archetype of both Brains and Beauty in an era of 1950's America. She was elected "Miss Monogram" for Vineland High School in her senior year (1956) as an acknowledgement of her character, leadership, beauty and personality. Her high school sweetheart and future husband was Arthur D'Arrigo, star athlete of Vineland High. The couple were married in 1959 and soon relocated to Virginia where Art was attending the University of Richmond on a four-year football scholarship.
JoAnn's academic career was put on hold as she became mother to three sons, and she and her family relocated to Pittsburgh, PA following her husband's career.
JoAnn's thirst for education and achievement however, strove her to attend the University of Pittsburgh while raising her sons and managing the household. She additionally tested for and was enrolled into the Mensa International Society.
After graduating Pitt, she was recommended to Duquesne University Law School and completed her law degree in 1974. Upon passing the bar, and partnering with another female attorney in private practice, JoAnn was offered and accepted a position as Assistant District Attorney for the City of Pittsburgh in 1976.
Additionally, JoAnn found time for activism, becoming a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) where she participated in a number of actions and demonstrations forwarding the cause of women's issues. Inadvertently in 1976, she became the subject of a regional attention when in the course of her normal duties as a District Attorney; JoAnn appeared in court dressed in a "Stylish Grey Pantsuit" that prompted the sitting judge to ban her from his courtroom as a "distraction". This event occurred in the presence of the local press, who made a sensation out of the incident…such were the times concerning women's rights.
Despite the attention, and pressure from her NOW colleagues, JoAnn's focus was not on headlines, but in raising and attending to the needs of her family. Those needs brought her family back to its origins in Cumberland County, New Jersey and were she and the family eventually relocated in Bridgeton, NJ.
JoAnn established her own firm in 1977 with a focus on family law. Her son Cris later joined her in the practice under the name D'Arrigo & D'Arrigo in 1989.
JoAnn continued practicing law until her retirement in 2008 as health issues began to increasingly affect her life. Throughout her retirement, JoAnn continued to be a pillar of strength to her family during periods of both happiness and loss. Her unending devotion and love to family was perhaps the strongest among the impressive list of her personal qualities.
Mrs. D'Arrigo was pre-deceased by her husband Arthur in 2011, and her mother Evelyn in 2016. JoAnn is survived by a grateful family including her sons, Thomas J. D'Arrigo of Bridgeton, Judge Criston P. D'Arrigo (MaryAnn) of Hopewell Township, Arthur G. D'Arrigo Jr. (Lucia) of Pittsburgh. She is also survived by brothers Joseph Spinelli Jr., Ronald S. Spinelli Sr., Michael G. Spinelli all of Vineland as well as seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to Mrs. D'Arrigo's viewing at the Freitag Funeral Home, 137 W. Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ on Tuesday evening, June 6th, from 6 until 9:00 pm. The Funeral Liturgy will be held at Christ the Good Shepperd Parish / Sacred Heart R.C. Church, 1010 E. Landis Avenue in Vineland, Wednesday morning June 7th at 10 o'clock where friends will be received from 9 until 10.
The interment will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Vineland.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.
JoAnn C. Spinelli D'Arrigo, Esquire, beloved wife, mother, sister and most remarkable matriarch to her family, passed away on Thursday, June 1 in her seventy-eighth year, after a prolonged and valiant struggle against numerous health problems. JoAnn was the eldest daughter of the late Joseph Spinelli Sr. and Evelyn-May (Bue).
Born in Vineland, New Jersey on August 1, 1939 JoAnn was raised in a very humble household that required her support from an early age. As the eldest of the four Spinelli children, JoAnn was more than equal to the task due largely to her precocious spirit, high intelligence and devotion to family. Always an excellent student, JoAnn excelled throughout her scholastic years, and was elected to the National Honor Society in her freshman year and maintained an excellent record throughout. JoAnn was an archetype of both Brains and Beauty in an era of 1950's America. She was elected "Miss Monogram" for Vineland High School in her senior year (1956) as an acknowledgement of her character, leadership, beauty and personality. Her high school sweetheart and future husband was Arthur D'Arrigo, star athlete of Vineland High. The couple were married in 1959 and soon relocated to Virginia where Art was attending the University of Richmond on a four-year football scholarship.
JoAnn's academic career was put on hold as she became mother to three sons, and she and her family relocated to Pittsburgh, PA following her husband's career.
JoAnn's thirst for education and achievement however, strove her to attend the University of Pittsburgh while raising her sons and managing the household. She additionally tested for and was enrolled into the Mensa International Society.
After graduating Pitt, she was recommended to Duquesne University Law School and completed her law degree in 1974. Upon passing the bar, and partnering with another female attorney in private practice, JoAnn was offered and accepted a position as Assistant District Attorney for the City of Pittsburgh in 1976.
Additionally, JoAnn found time for activism, becoming a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) where she participated in a number of actions and demonstrations forwarding the cause of women's issues. Inadvertently in 1976, she became the subject of a regional attention when in the course of her normal duties as a District Attorney; JoAnn appeared in court dressed in a "Stylish Grey Pantsuit" that prompted the sitting judge to ban her from his courtroom as a "distraction". This event occurred in the presence of the local press, who made a sensation out of the incident…such were the times concerning women's rights.
Despite the attention, and pressure from her NOW colleagues, JoAnn's focus was not on headlines, but in raising and attending to the needs of her family. Those needs brought her family back to its origins in Cumberland County, New Jersey and were she and the family eventually relocated in Bridgeton, NJ.
JoAnn established her own firm in 1977 with a focus on family law. Her son Cris later joined her in the practice under the name D'Arrigo & D'Arrigo in 1989.
JoAnn continued practicing law until her retirement in 2008 as health issues began to increasingly affect her life. Throughout her retirement, JoAnn continued to be a pillar of strength to her family during periods of both happiness and loss. Her unending devotion and love to family was perhaps the strongest among the impressive list of her personal qualities.
Mrs. D'Arrigo was pre-deceased by her husband Arthur in 2011, and her mother Evelyn in 2016. JoAnn is survived by a grateful family including her sons, Thomas J. D'Arrigo of Bridgeton, Judge Criston P. D'Arrigo (MaryAnn) of Hopewell Township, Arthur G. D'Arrigo Jr. (Lucia) of Pittsburgh. She is also survived by brothers Joseph Spinelli Jr., Ronald S. Spinelli Sr., Michael G. Spinelli all of Vineland as well as seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to Mrs. D'Arrigo's viewing at the Freitag Funeral Home, 137 W. Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ on Tuesday evening, June 6th, from 6 until 9:00 pm. The Funeral Liturgy will be held at Christ the Good Shepperd Parish / Sacred Heart R.C. Church, 1010 E. Landis Avenue in Vineland, Wednesday morning June 7th at 10 o'clock where friends will be received from 9 until 10.
The interment will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Vineland.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.
Born in Vineland, New Jersey on August 1, 1939 JoAnn was raised in a very humble household that required her support from an early age. As the eldest of the four Spinelli children, JoAnn was more than equal to the task due largely to her precocious spirit, high intelligence and devotion to family. Always an excellent student, JoAnn excelled throughout her scholastic years, and was elected to the National Honor Society in her freshman year and maintained an excellent record throughout. JoAnn was an archetype of both Brains and Beauty in an era of 1950's America. She was elected "Miss Monogram" for Vineland High School in her senior year (1956) as an acknowledgement of her character, leadership, beauty and personality. Her high school sweetheart and future husband was Arthur D'Arrigo, star athlete of Vineland High. The couple were married in 1959 and soon relocated to Virginia where Art was attending the University of Richmond on a four-year football scholarship.
JoAnn's academic career was put on hold as she became mother to three sons, and she and her family relocated to Pittsburgh, PA following her husband's career.
JoAnn's thirst for education and achievement however, strove her to attend the University of Pittsburgh while raising her sons and managing the household. She additionally tested for and was enrolled into the Mensa International Society.
After graduating Pitt, she was recommended to Duquesne University Law School and completed her law degree in 1974. Upon passing the bar, and partnering with another female attorney in private practice, JoAnn was offered and accepted a position as Assistant District Attorney for the City of Pittsburgh in 1976.
Additionally, JoAnn found time for activism, becoming a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) where she participated in a number of actions and demonstrations forwarding the cause of women's issues. Inadvertently in 1976, she became the subject of a regional attention when in the course of her normal duties as a District Attorney; JoAnn appeared in court dressed in a "Stylish Grey Pantsuit" that prompted the sitting judge to ban her from his courtroom as a "distraction". This event occurred in the presence of the local press, who made a sensation out of the incident…such were the times concerning women's rights.
Despite the attention, and pressure from her NOW colleagues, JoAnn's focus was not on headlines, but in raising and attending to the needs of her family. Those needs brought her family back to its origins in Cumberland County, New Jersey and were she and the family eventually relocated in Bridgeton, NJ.
JoAnn established her own firm in 1977 with a focus on family law. Her son Cris later joined her in the practice under the name D'Arrigo & D'Arrigo in 1989.
JoAnn continued practicing law until her retirement in 2008 as health issues began to increasingly affect her life. Throughout her retirement, JoAnn continued to be a pillar of strength to her family during periods of both happiness and loss. Her unending devotion and love to family was perhaps the strongest among the impressive list of her personal qualities.
Mrs. D'Arrigo was pre-deceased by her husband Arthur in 2011, and her mother Evelyn in 2016. JoAnn is survived by a grateful family including her sons, Thomas J. D'Arrigo of Bridgeton, Judge Criston P. D'Arrigo (MaryAnn) of Hopewell Township, Arthur G. D'Arrigo Jr. (Lucia) of Pittsburgh. She is also survived by brothers Joseph Spinelli Jr., Ronald S. Spinelli Sr., Michael G. Spinelli all of Vineland as well as seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to Mrs. D'Arrigo's viewing at the Freitag Funeral Home, 137 W. Commerce Street, Bridgeton, NJ on Tuesday evening, June 6th, from 6 until 9:00 pm. The Funeral Liturgy will be held at Christ the Good Shepperd Parish / Sacred Heart R.C. Church, 1010 E. Landis Avenue in Vineland, Wednesday morning June 7th at 10 o'clock where friends will be received from 9 until 10.
The interment will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Vineland.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.
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