Joan Fries, resident of The Terrace of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, formerly of Fairport, NY, died quietly on September 8, 2025 at the Germantown Home in Philadelphia.  As in her life, she was surrounded by her loving family at the time of her passing.

She was born on January 10, 1936, in Houlton, Maine, to Henry and Evangeline (Tilley) Gormley.

She met the love of her life, Bob Fries, while working as a civil service secretary and controller at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine.  Their first date was a Harlem Globetrotters game.  It proved to be the beginning of a joyful and meaningful adventure that lasted nearly 70 years.  Joan and Bob were engaged on April 20,1956 and married on September 29,1956.

They settled in Morgantown, West Virginia, while Bob was a student at West Virginia University.  From there they moved to Westland, Michigan and then spent most of their lives in Fairport, NY.  

For many years, starting in 1972,  Joan worked at Bertha Agor Nursery school in Fairport.  She was well loved by staff and children and eagerly retold countless funny stories from her daily classes to her family.  Joan easily formed lasting relationships with children and animals and passed that trait to her children.

Joan was creative, and loved to sew, quilt, garden, paint and cook.  (Her homemade baked goods magically appeared whenever guests arrived).  An avid game player, she enjoyed cribbage, pinochle, Farkle, Quiddler, Upwords and many other card and word games.  She was an active member of the Church of the Resurrection in Fairport for many years.  She was a consummate volunteer and at one point even learned how to transcribe books to Braille.  Above all, Joan will be remembered for her steadfastness and devotion to her many friends and her family.  She especially delighted in visiting with her 11 great grandchildren.

Besides her husband, Bob, she is survived by her son and his wife, Jim and Trish of Philadelphia, PA, her daughter Kathy of Champaign, Illinois; her 4 grandchildren, Justin (Katie), Eric (Caiti), Andrew (Chelsea) and Caitlin (Mike), and 11 great grandchildren.

Her family would like to express their deep gratitude to the staff at The Terrace and the Germantown Home for their excellent care for Joan.  

Family and Philadelphia friends are invited to celebrate Joan’s life on Sunday, September 28, 2025 from 1-4pm at The Commodore Barry Club, 6815 Emlen Street Philadelphia, PA.  

A Liturgy of the Word service will be held at The Church of the Resurrection, 63 Mason Road, Fairport, NY on October 15, 2025 at 10:30 am. 

In her memory, contributions may be made to: Guiding Eyes for the Blind: donate.guidingeyes.org or 

Maryknoll Lay Missioners: mklm.org