Joan Vivian (Kershaw) Swann, 70, passed away peacefully on April 29, 2020, in the Intensive Care Unit at Kent County Memorial Hospital from COVID-19, where she was surrounded by her loving work family.
The ICU at Kent was Joan’s second home, and where she had worked for the past 48 years as both a nurse and a secretary. She was the loving companion of the late Arthur J. Hewes for the past 35 years, who also passed away due to COVID-19, 13 days prior to Joan passing.
Born in Providence, RI, she was the daughter of the late Dr. A. James Kershaw, II and Vivian (Armstrong) Kershaw. Joan was a 1972 graduate of Rhode Island School of Practical Nursing. She began and ended her nursing career as an LPN at Kent Hospital. After nursing, she continued working in the ICU as the unit secretary, where she remained employed until her untimely passing. Joan had the most loving and giving personality. She was both witty and charming, and genuinely brightened the day of anyone she came across. Not only would she leave you with a huge smile, but she would also leave you in hysterics! She was by far one of the funniest people you’d ever meet. She loved all animals, past and present. She especially loved her grand-furbabies Panda, Ruby, Ollie and Juno, and also her daily window visits from Mr. & Mrs. Frankie, the cardinals that resided in the woods behind her house. She loved her friends and family fiercely. She especially loved lunch dates with the girls, trips to the theater with some of her best friends, and family game nights. She loved all things Christmas, especially our family tradition of Secret Santa. Joan was the glue that kept her large family together. She would organize and host a “Family Thanksgiving” every year. She always welcomed new people into our family, including friends and other loved ones who quickly became her extended family. She loved music, movies, and arts and crafts, and was a very talented artist for many years. Joan was also such an amazing mother, sister, aunt, cousin, coworker and friend to so many.
She is survived by a daughter, Glenna E. Swann and a grandson Adam D. Richard, both of East Greenwich, RI. She also leaves behind five brothers, Arthur J. Kerhsaw III and his wife Ginny Kershaw of East Greenwich, RI, Phillip W. Kershaw and his wife Rolaine Kershaw of Coventry, RI, Edward J. Kershaw and his wife Patricia Kershaw of West Warwick, RI, Stephen J. Kershaw and his (late) wife Sandy Kershaw of Peoria, Il, and Richard H. Kershaw and his wife Sandy Kershaw of Glocester, RI, and her stepchildren Pamela Bibeault Marchetti of Warwick, RI, Kelley E. Hewes and her fiancé Robin Morissette of Warwick, RI. She was the beloved sister of the late Judith K. Norman, wife of the late Bernard Norman.
Due to current health and safety regulations, her Funeral Service will be private. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the Urquhart-Murphy Funeral Home, 800 Greenwich Ave, Warwick.
A gathering for all of her family and friends to remember Joanie will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in her memory to The Izzy Foundation, PO Box 2326, Providence, RI, 02906, or www.theizzyfoundation.org, are greatly appreciated.
