Joan Hughes

Joan Hughes, 77, of Clifton was surrounded by her loving family when she passed into eternal life on March 31, 2018 after a long illness. Joan was a graduate of Rutgers University. She was the beloved wife of John Hughes for more than fifty years. Surviving are her children, Sean, William and his wife Donna; three loving grandchildren Mitchell, Crystal and Rachel and her "Irish Son" Colm. Joan's daughter Catherine predeceased her. She was also predeceased by her parents and her two siblings. She is survived by her brother-in-law James Hughes and his wife Janet and sisters-in-law Carol and Barbara as well as cousins, nieces, nephews and many dear friends.
Joan was a retired science teacher from a Jersey City High School and served the city education system for forty years and briefly taught at St. Peter's College. She was moderator of the National Honor Society and served as a coach for many years. After retirement she was briefly employed as a consultant to the City Board of Education.
From an early age she exhibited a strong sense of community commitment and a desire to help the less fortunate. She taught religion courses in her parish school, taught young women in homes for unwed mothers and was a reader for blind students. She was a pro-life and pro-adoption advocate and was a Pro-Bono adoption consultant. She served as a North Jersey Coordinator for Project Children providing safe homes for children from strife torn North Ireland for more than thirty years. She was the School Board President for St. Philip the Apostle School in Clifton and was the chief science adviser for the design, development and implementation of the school's laboratory. She was honored for her humanitarian efforts by every level of the American government and was honored by the Irish government. She received the New Jersey Education Association Dr. Martin Luther King Human and Civil Rights Award. She was very proud of and actively supportive of her Irish heritage, visiting family and friends in Ireland on multiple occasions.
Visiting hours will be held Friday from 4 to 8 pm at Bizub-Quinlan Funeral Home, 1313 Van Houten Ave., Clifton. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday 10:00 am at St. Philip the Apostle R.C. Church, 797 Valley Road, Clifton. (Please meet at church). Interment will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Dominican Friars Foundation, 141 East 6th Street, New York, NY 10065 would be appreciated.