Joan Kazen

Joan was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 21, 1929 to Virgil Michael DeMartini and Evangeline Guarnieri. Joan attended Rosary High School in Detroit and graduated in 1947. It was in high school where she met the love of her life and future husband, Joe Kazen. They married in 1949 and were blessed with a lifetime of happiness. When they were separated by wartime, Joan’s love was shown when she would travel three and a half days by train from Detroit to the Naval shipyard in San Francisco to spend time with Joe. After two wars, Joan and Joe worked side by side for several years operating their own business, J & J Markét. By 1959, she and Joe decided they’d had enough of the cold and snow so they loaded the kids into their Ford station wagon and drove to sunny West Palm Beach, Florida.

Joan was known for her cooking prowess which she learned from her large Italian family. Even simple meals were a palate pleasing experience. Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving meals involved multi-day preparation and were always looked forward to by family and friends. She was a lover of the sun, fresh air, gardening and taking long walks along the Flager Drive bike path. She loved spending summers with her family at “Clifton Villa,” her mother’s bed and breakfast in Palm Beach. After her fifth child entered school, Joan obtained her real estate license and again worked alongside Joe at Kazen Realty. With her effective people skills and entrepreneurial spirit, Joan excelled at selling residential properties and continued in this career after Joe passed in 1983. Joan loved to stay busy, even in retirement. She drove herself to church regularly and to her gym to work out three times a week until she was 92. Her strong faith and positive outlook contributed to her long successful life.

Joan passed away peacefully in her home of 60 years on January 16, 2024. She was surrounded by her children and family. She was predeceased by her husband, Joseph P. Kazen, Sr. She was also predeceased by her eldest son, Joseph P. Kazen (Joey), Jr. (Shannon). She is survived by her children, Kathleen (Richard), Michael (Theresa), Mary Jo (David), and Mark (Wendy). Joan has 11 beautiful grandchildren and 1 beautiful great grandchild.

Joan never gave up her passion for life. She will be remembered by friends and family for her vigor and good cheer, which is reflected by her life’s motto, “Forever Young”.

A funeral Mass will take place Thursday, April 4, 2024, 10:00am at St. Juliana Catholic Church. A private interment for family members will be at Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery. The family would like to express their gratitude to Hospice of Palm Beach County, for the excellent, compassionate care they provided to our mother.