Joan DeNicolo Antisdale

Joan DeNicolo Antisdale, 66, of Fairfield, beloved wife of 44 years of Kevin M. Antisdale, died peacefully at her home on November 18, 2024, after a courageous seven-month fight against cancer. The daughter of the late Felix C. and Mary (Caulfield) DeNicolo, Joan was born in Norwich on November 7, 1958. She was a 1976 graduate of Norwich Free Academy where she was an honor student and participated in track and field and the leaders club. 

In 1980, Joan graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Fine Arts, with a bachelor’s degree in fashion design. Joan accepted a position with Lord & Taylor in New York City and rose to the position of buyer for women’s apparel. Her responsibilities included international travel to evaluate and buy loungewear and dresses. Later, she transitioned to a sales position with San Francisco-based Eileen West, a dress and sleepwear designer. After taking time off to raise her three boys, Joan worked locally in retail, most recently at She La La in Westport, where she was part of a close-knit team of women selling gifts, clothing and personalized items.

An avid gardener, Joan loved working to make her beautiful blue hydrangea the envy of the neighborhood. She loved vacationing on Nantucket with her family where she mastered the art of making Nantucket baskets. She often sat under an umbrella on Eel Point beach weaving a basket while her husband and boys played home run derby in the sand or fished for bluefish, striped bass and an occasional shark. Joan was a 24-year member of the Fairfield Beach Club where she loved spending time with family and friends on the beach during the day, and dining on the rooftop in the evenings. Joan was an avid reader and had an incredible eye for home design. She recently oversaw a home renovation that brought her love of sunshine, beach, and soft white colors to her family room and stairway bringing to life a vision she’d had for some time. 

For the past five years, the highlight of Joan’s life has been the time spent interacting with her grandsons, Christopher and Riley. Affectionately known as JoJo, (no one dared refer to her as grandma), Joan took great joy in spending time with them. Like his brother, Riley was just beginning to spend quality one-on- one time with JoJo. Sadly, over the past seven months, Joan’s treatment interrupted these visits. Until he started pre-school, Christopher spent most Wednesdays at “Camp JoJo” where he would learn colors, numbers, letters and patterns. He and JoJo would make crafts, puzzles, paint, and make bead bracelets for his family. He learned to ride a bike, hit a ball off a tee and have fun at a playground, all under the watchful eye of his JoJo. The smiles, love and special bond between the two leave Joan’s family the gift of a cherished and heartwarming memory, never to be forgotten. 

Joan was predeceased by her parents and, in addition to her husband, is survived by her sons: Connor and his wife Samantha of Fairfield, Ryan of Tampa, Florida, and Evan of Fairfield, as well as her siblings: Philip DeNicolo (Denise) of Spring Branch, Texas, Marie Ladd (Tim), of Mattapoisett, Massachusetts, David DeNicolo of Rowayton, and Paul DeNicolo of Cincinnati, Ohio, her grandchildren: Christopher and Riley Antisdale of Fairfield, and nieces and nephews: Ellen Gingerella, Eric Faulise, and William, Gianna and Francesca DeNicolo. 

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Friday, November 22, 2024, at 11:00 am at St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church, 149 South Pine Creek Rd, Fairfield. Burial will be private at a future date. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Joan’s memory may be made to Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center or Tunnel to Towers Foundation. The Spear Miller Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.