Joan Marie Haughey Wright
Joan Wright of Wallingford died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday, April 19, in her home at Plush Mills Senior Living, following a long battle with dementia. Her illness was complicated by the coronavirus pandemic that restricted access to hospital care, but she never got the virus. She was in hospice care when she died. She was 87.
Joan was born in Philadelphia to John and Marie Haughey. John was in the trucking business in Philadelphia under the name of J.B. Hoy Trucking. The family lived in various communities in Delaware County, but settled in Newtown Square, where her father bought 16 acres on Bishop Hollow Road near the Troop Farm. The family built several homes on that land. Joan went to Catholic schools in the area, graduating from Villa Maria Academy High School, a top-ranked independent Catholic all-girl preparatory school in Malvern.
Joan was married in 1952 to Francis (Frank) Schmucki, who was several years her senior. The Schmucki family was from Switzerland. Joan and Frank moved to Anaheim, California and had three children, Gerald (Jerry) born in 1953, Michael in 1954, and Kathleen (Kathie) in 1958. In 1964, Joan’s father’s trucking business was growing, and he needed more help. He asked Joan’s husband, Frank, to move back to the area to work for him. They sold their home in California. No sooner did they get back to Newtown Square than Frank died. Fortunately, Joan’s parents’ home was large enough for the family.
The kids grew up, and Joan worked for her father in his office until she met Dr. Bill Hooper. They were married in 1976 and spent 35 happy years together. Joan and Bill moved to Connecticut, where Bill was the head of the emergency department at Middlesex Hospital in Middletown. When Bill retired, they moved back to Pennsylvania, living first at Hershey’s Mill in Chester County and then at Plush Mills in Wallingford.
Joan and Bill met Mary and Ken Wright the week the Hoopers moved into Plush Mills in 2007, thanks to a mutual friend who suggested they might enjoy each other. They did. Bill and Ken became best friends, and as Mary’s health declined, Ken, Bill, and Joan ate almost every meal together. When Bill died suddenly in April 2011, Joan moved out of Plush Mills to an apartment in Newtown Towers in Newtown Square. Mary lived for about eight months longer, dying in 2012. Ken called Joan for a date (his first since he was 15). They dated for almost a year and were married on January 1, 2013, in Naples, Florida.
Joan moved back to Plush Mills, and she and Ken traveled the world seeing places he had lived and meeting friends he had made. Joan began to suffer from dementia shortly thereafter. She was moved to Daylesford Crossing, then back to Plush Mills, then to Kyffin Grove, and finally back to Plush Mills. During this time, Joan had a heart attack but recovered well. Throughout these difficult challenges, she never lost her beautiful smile. Joan was one of the kindest people God ever created. Everybody loved her, and she so loved her family.
Joan is survived by her sister Mary (Rich) and her brother Al (Joyce); three children, Jerry, Michael (Winnie), and Kathie (André); seven grandchildren, Jen (Matt), Lauren (Damian), Tiffany (Glenn), Kyle (Cameron), Katie (Kyle), Kristie (Kyle), and Kody (Grace); and nine great-grandchildren, Grace, Gavin, Mila, Vivia, Hudson, Nora, Sienna, Brielle, and Nico. Joan is also survived by her husband Ken; his four children, Kenny, Mark (Cheryl), Perri Ann, Jeffrey (Jimi); four grandchildren, Heather (Chris), Erica, David (Madison), and Maddy (Pat); and three great-grandchildren, Drew, Hannah, and Chase.
A memorial service will be held at the Swarthmore Presbyterian Church as soon as the pandemic allows.
