Joan Marie Buzzallino, of Pompano Beach, FL, beloved sister, aunt, and friend passed away on Thursday, December 30th at the age of 77. She was the oldest of four children to Angelo and Josephine Buzzallino (McCann) on March 9, 1944. Joan’s parents were restaurateurs in New York City, and raised her and her siblings in Roslyn, New York.
Joan graduated from Cabrini College with a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education. In the 1970s, Joan was among the first women in the IBM sales organization, serving as a marketing manager in Philadelphia and a branch manager in Morristown, N.J. After 15 years in sales at IBM, she accepted a position in human resources where she continued her career for another twenty plus years.
In 2005, Joan retired as vice president for human resources for manufacturing and sales, the unit responsible for IBM’s 190,000 engineers and scientists. During her tenure, she was a leader in succession planning, and a strong advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Following her retirement Joan was known for her generosity and lending her expertise to numerous organizations. Joan served for nine years on the Cabrini University Board of Trustees, and on the Board of Directors for the Stamford Museum and Nature Center in her Connecticut hometown. She was an active participant in the IBM On Demand Community, an initiative that underlines IBM’s support for volunteerism around the world.
Joan generously endowed the Buzzallino Family Faculty Fund at Cabrini, which recognizes and rewards faculty members who are dedicated to academic excellence. She also established a scholarship that provides a global experience to a student who otherwise couldn’t afford it, with preference given to a minority student.
Joan was also a patron of the arts, a supporting member of the Friends of the Uffizi, and one of ten patrons of the museum’s new Titian Salon. Joan also celebrated her culture as a member of the Italian American service organization, UNICO.
What Joan cherished the most was time with her family and longtime friends, always planning wonderful vacations, from the Jersey Shore to a river cruise in Europe. Joan never missed an opportunity to raise a cocktail and celebrate those most important to her. Joan will be greatly missed by her two devoted sisters, Susan Dougherty and her husband Robert Dougherty, Anne Matarazzo and her husband Tom Matarazzo. Surviving in addition to her sisters, are her nieces and nephews; Paul Buzzallino, Elizabeth McCormick (Buzzallino), Kristin Henderson (Dougherty), Suzanne Matarazzo, Alan Buzzallino, Joseph Dougherty, Thomas Matarazzo, Karen Dussich (Matarazzo) and Kathryn Matarazzo, as well as their families who adored her. She’s predeceased by her mother, father, and brother, Paul Buzzallino.
Joan will be honored at visitation on Thursday, January 6, 2022 from 5-8 PM at Van Emburgh-Sneider-Pernice Funeral Home, 109 Darlington Ave, Ramsey, NJ 07446. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, January 7, 2022 at 10 AM at Church of the Presentation, 271, West Saddle River Road, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458. Cremation will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations in memory of Joan to To Life! (tolife.org), Support and Education Services for those dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis and the MFL Foundation for Cancer Prevention (mflfoundation.com).