By the family

Aug. 5, 2020: Joan Maria Cox McCaffrey of Bronxville, New York, died at Lawrence Hospital on July 26, 2020, of pancreatic cancer. 

Joan was the devoted wife of James B. McCaffrey and the beloved mother of Mary Elizabeth (Mimi) of New York City, Kathleen McCaffrey Baynes of Albany, New York, Sara Jane McCaffrey of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Deirdre McCaffrey of Greenwich, Connecticut, Clare McCaffrey of Alexandria, Virginia, and Kiera McCaffrey Poumade of Alexandria, Virginia. She is also survived by her sons-in-law, Christopher Baynes, Matthew Bidwell, Robert Mate, and James Poumade. 

Joan was the devoted grandmother of Taylor McCaffrey, Emmett and Anna Baynes, James and Margaret (“Daisy”) Bidwell, and Maria, Dulce, Robert (“Beto”), and Cecelia (“Ceci”) Mate. Joan is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Michael and Patricia Cox, of Savannah, Georgia, and her sister-in-law, Rosemarie McCaffrey Keane of Westhampton, New York.

Joan was born in the Bronx in 1942. Her parents were Mary (Doherty) and Michael Cox, both born in Ireland. Joan attended Sacred Heart School in Highbridge, as did her future husband, James McCaffrey. 

She graduated from St. Jean Baptiste High School in New York City and received her Bachelor of Science from D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. She was a Registered Nurse. 

Joan Cox and James McCaffrey were married at Sacred Heart Church in 1965. In 1973, they moved to Bronxville, New York, where they have lived ever since.

After Joan raised their six daughters, she received a degree in computer science at Iona College. Later, she was a successful headhunter. 

When she finally retired, she began volunteering at Calvary Hospital, eventually being honored as Volunteer of the Year in 2014. She continued to volunteer, even when she was being treated for cancer, stopping only in February of this year. 

She was an enthusiastic bridge player who was a mainstay when it came to organizing the biweekly bridge games. St. Joseph Church was central to her life, which reflected her devotion to her Catholic faith.

People requesting organizations to which to make donations in Joan’s honor may consider Calvary Hospital, Bronx, New York, (www.fund.calvaryhospital.org), and Pregnancy Care Center Inc (www.emr4motherandchild.org).