Joy Ivey St. John
Devoted Community Advocate
Joy Ivey St John, 81, passed away peacefully on December 7 surrounded by her family.
Born in New York, NY on June 6, 1940, Ivey grew up in Greenwich, CT (“Grunch”) and moved to Boston in the late 1960’s to raise her family and begin her long career in business management and community and environmental advocacy.
After earning her MBA from Boston University in the mid-1970s, she went on to hold a financial controller position at Raytheon Company for 15 years before retiring and dedicating her energies to environmental and community causes.
For over 25 years, Ivey dedicated her time to support and improve the lives of those in her Charlestown community and to those in need, particularly in the immigrant community. In 2019, Ivey was recognized by former Boston Mayor Martin Walsh for being the longest serving volunteer member of the Association of Haitian Women for Boston’s Haitian Roundtable on Domestic and Sexual Abuse.
In the same year, she was recognized by the EPA for the founding and leadership of the Mystic River Watershed Steering Committee which focused on water quality, open space, flooding and industrial contamination within the 75-square-mile Mystic Watershed.
In her immediate community of Charlestown, she was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Friends of the Charlestown Navy Yard and The Charlestown Waterfront Coalition. Ivey also shared her time and treasure with Courageous Sailing whose mission is to transform lives through sailing programs that inspire learning, personal growth and leadership. Ivey worked tirelessly to preserve and enhance the beauty and health of her community and to give voice to those who otherwise might not be heard.
In addition to finding joy and fulfillment in serving her community, she loved spending time singing in church choirs, making regular visits to museums, attending the performing arts, such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra as a season ticket holder for over 40 years and traveling the world with longtime friends.
Ivey was predeceased by her brother, Orson L. St. John, Jr and is survived by her two siblings, Cornelia Lewis and Cora Alice Gebhardt. She is survived by her three children, Avery Woodworth, Cornelia Woodworth, Carter Woodworth Siegel and her six grandchildren: Caleb, Eliza, Amelia, Zoe, Noa and Leah and her beloved dog, Vira.
A celebration of Life/Memorial is to be planned for September of 2022 in Charlestown.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the following organizations:
The Association for Haitian Women: http://afab-kafanm.org/wp/The Charlestown Coalition: https://charlestowncoalition.org/contact-us/The Mystic River Watershed Association: https://mysticriver.orgCourageous Sailing: https://courageoussailing.org/annualgiving2021/.
Lesley Hauser
Immigration Attorney
Lesley (Carroll) Hauser of Charlestown passed away surrounded by her family on December 14 at age 53 after battling cancer selflessly and quietly for 24 months. Lesley is survived by her adored husband of 25 years, Jim, who she met on their first day of law school in 1991, their beloved son, James Jr., and two treasured daughters, Victoria and Caroline.
Lesley was the second child of Dr. John and the late Donna Carroll of Winchester. She was a graduate of Milton Academy, College of the Holy Cross, earned a Master’s degree in Spanish from Middlebury College and received her law degree from Loyola University School of Law. Lesley was a highly regarded immigration attorney in Boston at the law firm of O’Neil and Hauser where she practiced for 26 years. Lesley was defined by her strong Catholic faith, singular devotion to her family and dedication to assisting those in need. She is also survived by her three adoring siblings and her beloved nieces and nephews: older sister Martha Casey, her husband, Tom and children, Alexandra and Thomas; her younger brother John “Jay” Carroll, his wife, Carolyn, and children Madeline, John and Connor and her youngest sister, Andrea Haney, her husband, Brian and twins, Luke and Lauren.
Lesley was a deeply devoted, humble mother who loved nothing more than spending winter weekends skiing on the slopes of Waterville Valley and summers on the water in Osterville–always with her family. “Island Loops” and dips at Sampsons were always a favorite. Lesley loved life, tried to live hers to the fullest each day, and encouraged all those around her to do the same.
The pure grace and selflessness Lesley exhibited throughout her illness left all she encountered awestruck.
Whenever someone asked her how she was doing, Lesley always provided reassuring words to all those concerned and deflected the conversation to how they were doing.
Lesley will be forever missed, but her family is comforted by the knowledge that she is now at eternal peace with the Lord.
The wake will be held at the Lane Funeral Home in Winchester on December 16 from 3 to 7 p.m. Lesley’s Funeral Mass will be celebrated at her family’s parish, St. Mary St. Catherine of Siena in Charlestown on December 17 at 10:30 a.m.
Lesley’s family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the extraordinary physicians and staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a gift to the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
For online condolences, please visit www.lanefuneral.com.