Joanne Marie Niedbala

Joanne Marie Niedbala, 76, sister of Joseph Stanley Niedbala, Jr. of Cromwell, passed away peacefully on January 8, 2022 at Pilgrim Manor in Cromwell at the end of a day she spent with family by her side. Joanne, or AJ, as she came to be known by family and friends, was born September 26, 1945 in New Britain to the late Joseph Niedbala and the late Stefania Niedbala (née Bednarz) in New Britain, CT. She lived most of her life in New Britain before residing in Portland and eventually Cromwell. She attended Sacred Heart School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School in New Britain and was a member of Sacred Heart Parish. As a young woman she was employed in the manufacturing industry, in particular American Hardware and Emhart, where she rose to be a department head—and a crucial member of their recreational bowling league. She retired early due to health reasons but maintained an active role in New Britain life. She volunteered at St. Lucian’s Residence and the Monsignor Bojnowski Manor nursing home painting ceramics, and she provided rides to disabled people unable to drive. Joanne also served on New Britain’s Commission on Persons With Disabilities; in 1995 Mayor Lucian J. Pawlak appointed her as chairwoman, a role she occupied for several years. Her activist work helped New Britain become nationally recognized for its focus on accessibility.

Joanne had many joys in life and was best known for her sense of humor and sharp wit—and for the latter, it was better to be her co-conspirator than her target. But she also had a disarming, self-deprecating humor, and she was not afraid to be silly, dressing up her cane (affectionately named Ralph) and later her walker (his name was Norton) for different seasons and festivities. In fact, crafts and decorations were her forte, and she could make themed holidays out of any small change in season. She was famous for her holiday cookies and breads, as well as her applesauce and soups. Joanne was a giving person, regularly cooking for an army and distributing her goods to family and neighbors as well as donating to local food banks and charities. She kept a vegetable garden with her father when she was young and continued to do so for decades after she lost him. She regularly watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy with her mother, and anyone who watched with them knew they would have won had they ever been contestants. She was a huge fan of UConn Huskies basketball, New Britain baseball, and the Boston Red Sox.

Joanne comes from a large extended yet close-knit family, too numerous to name in full here but very dear to her. In addition to her brother Joseph Niedbala and his wife Suzanne, she is survived and will be dearly missed by cousins Dorothy Hemingway of Waterford (who was more sister than cousin), James Pzynski and his wife Margaret of Florida, Francis Jacubiak of Meriden, and John Bednarz of South Windsor; cousins-in-law Shirley Pzynski and Milton Martin; and all of their children and grandchildren, whom she adopted as honorary nieces and nephews. She had a special relationship with her brother’s children as well: niece Amanda Greenwell and her husband Robert of Wethersfield; nephew Daniel Niedbala and his wife Yuletzi of Wethersfield; and nephew Gregory Niedbala and his wife Christine of Wethersfield; as well as all of their children—her “grandnephews” and “grandniece,” as she referred to them, and in whom she took great delight.

She was predeceased by her parents, Joseph and Stefania Niedbala; her cousins Thomas Pzynski, Barbara Martin, James Niedbala, and Lassiter Parsons; and her cousins-in-law Theodore Jacubiak, Regina Bednarz, and Patrick Hemingway (whom we imagine giving her a big hug in heaven).

Joanne's family would like to express their deep gratitude to the Pilgrim Manor staff for their wonderful care and to her friends and neighbors at the Atrium in Portland for their many acts of kindness, support—and good-natured jabs that she treasured, and then gave right back to them.

Funeral services and liturgy will be on Saturday, January 22, 2022, at 9:30am at Sacred Heart Church in New Britain. Private burial will follow in Sacred Heart Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your local food bank or charity. And do something that makes you laugh.

For online tributes, please visit www.newbritainsagarino.com.