Obituary of Mary Joan Devitt

The beloved Joan Devitt (née Mary Joan LaCasse) passed away suddenly of heart failure on March 13, 2017 in Jay, NY. She was just shy of her 85th birthday. Joan was born in Camden, NJ on March 21, 1932. She graduated from Camden Catholic School in 1949 and then earned a certificate in office administration from a local business school. As a young teenager, she was an accomplished roller skater but then discovered the ice, which became her true passion. Joan met her husband Jack at the International Figure Skating Club in Philadelphia, where they became ice-dancing partners in the early 1950s. The pair spent many weekends and summers training in Lake Placid, and went on to earn several competition titles. They decided to become life partners and married in 1956. Jack and Joan's love for skating and Lake Placid inspired them to move their family to the Adirondacks in 1969 when Jack was invited to become director of the Skating Club of Lake Placid. Together they ran the Club and, over the decades, touched the lives of hundreds of children and adults who they taught. Pillars of the skating community and the town, they were honored to be inducted into the Lake Placid Hall of Fame in 2012. Joan is survived by Jack and their four children and their spouses John Joseph Devitt, Jr. and Lori Brock-Devitt of Asheville, NC; Mary Kathleen Devitt and Joe Braby of Kingston, NY; Ruth Ann Devitt-Frank and Kevin Frank also of Kingston; and Nancy Joan Harpel and Bill Harpel of Eagle River, Alaska; her brother Thomas Joseph LaCasse and his wife Franny of Cherry Hill, NJ; five grandchildren; and two great grandchildren. She will be deeply missed. Services will take place at St. Agnes Church in Lake Placid on Monday, March 20, 2017 beginning with a viewing from 3:00 to 4:30, followed by Mass. In lieu of flowers, gifts can be made in Joan's honor to the Skating Club of Lake Placid. PO Box 528, Lake Placid, NY 12496 The M. B. Clark, Inc. Funeral Home in Lake Placid, NY is in charge of arrangements. Relatives and friends are invited to share a memory, order flowers, upload a photo or leave condolences at www.mbclarkfuneralhome.com .