Joanna DeLisi

Everyone knew Joanna’s priorities: family and caring for those around her. She didn’t just feed people; she orchestrated a lifelong, open-door Italian feast. For her, food was the primary dialect of love. If you were a neighbor, a friend of her sons, or even the fire department dog, you were getting a meatball sandwich—and it was going to be the best one you ever had.

​Born in Camden and raised in Kramer Hill, Joanna was the quiet force behind a spotless home and a loud, thriving family. She was the “bagger,” famous for showing up to her sons’ college football tailgates with dozens of sandwiches, ensuring no teammate went hungry. Her reach extended far beyond South Jersey—when her son was deployed to the Middle East, Joanna shipped care packages filled with home-cooked treats and spices to rescue everyone from bland military rations. In doing so, she fed countless Navy personnel and Marines, becoming a true celebrity overseas. Her kitchen was the North Star of the neighborhood; the house always smelled of gravy, peppers, and home. To her grandchildren, she was simply “Mom-Mom,” the woman who would just as easily play hockey in the driveway as she would iron every stitch of clothing to perfection.

​Joanna was a woman of devout faith and fierce routine. She was a fixture at Sunday Mass and never missed a Holy Day of Obligation, though she’d often have the gravy started before the family even left for church. She worked for years as an assistant for Dr. Rogowski, but her true vocation was her family. She was the type of mother who got up at 3:00 AM to make toast and coffee for her husband, Don, before he headed to the firehouse, offering a hug and ensuring he never left without a warm start.

​She met a handsome guy named Don, just returning home from military service. He offered to buy her a drink; she didn’t drink it, so he did. It was the beginning of a 60-year journey that took them from Southwest Philly to a home in Jersey—chosen specifically because it had the dining room Joanna required to host the world. They traveled to Disney, cherished every summer and especially their annual week together in Wildwood, and once navigated a reservation-free odyssey through the Hockey Hall of Fame and Niagara Falls, eventually witnessing the Stanley Cup in person.

​Joanna was a woman who wanted nothing for herself and gave everything to others. Even when her sons moved away, she’d arrive with a car full of paper towels, toilet paper, and enough food to stock a small store. She was the unconditional heart of the DeLisi family, a woman who never said a bad word about anyone and whose laugh could be heard from the stands over the roar of a football game.

​She is survived by her husband, Donald; her sons, Don (Vandy) and Jeff (Kim); and her eight grandchildren: Luke, Alli, Lauren, Sisely, Dominic, Andoni, Ysabel, and Mariella.

​Come celebrate 82 great years Saturday, August 15th from 9:00 AM to 11 AM at Daley Life Celebration Studio, 1518 Kings Highway, Swedesboro where there will be an 11 AM service. Interment at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery.