Joan Elizabeth Ward Dorgan, 76, of Dutton, Virginia, passed away peacefully on the afternoon of February 27, 2024 with her family and loved ones at her side. Born on January 20, 1948, Joan spent her formative years in her beloved hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. Her Catholic faith and upbringing played a major role in her life, and she credited her parochial education for laying the foundation for happiness and success in later years. After graduating from Mercy High School in 1966, Joan entered the St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Baltimore. St. Joseph’s is where Joan discovered her passion for nursing which developed into her career and calling for the rest of her life. Just as importantly, however, St. Joseph’s is where Joan befriended her closest and dearest friends. The closely-knit sisterhood of nurses began friendships that have endured and thrived for over half a century. “The Babes” are much more than college roommates—they are sisters devoted to one another who have shared all of life’s experiences, highs, and lows together. Shortly after graduating from St. Joseph’s in 1969, Joan met the love of her life, Pat. In a whirlwind of activity, the blissful couple wed in August 1970 and began their 50-year romance together. In 1977, after spending time in Germany and Boston, Joan and Pat relocated to what would become her second home of Gloucester, Virginia. She and Pat set down deep roots in “the land of the life worth living” and raised their three children there. Joan’s devotion to her family was both unwavering and unparalleled. She embraced every opportunity to support and be part of her children’s development by taking on the roles of Cub Scout den mother, Girl Scout troop leader, overseeing the altar server program at St. Therese Catholic Church, and actively participating in PTA programs at all their schools. She wanted nothing more than to see her children and grandchildren be happy, and sacrificed much to ensure their happiness.

Joan’s career in nursing was reflective of who she was as a person—passionate, caring, and unfailingly selfless. She had the opportunity to care for patients in a host of different settings over her career—from working in an emergency room in Baltimore, to a pediatric unit in Germany, to a nursing home in Boston. It was in Gloucester, however, where Joan’s nursing star shined brightest, and where she impacted countless lives. For the better part of two decades, Joan was a school nurse for nearly all of Gloucester’s elementary schools. She was instrumental in securing funding that allowed for a dedicated nurse to be assigned to each school. Her nurturing spirit and kind soul made every child feel loved and appreciated. She developed friendships not only with the children, but with their families as well. Somehow along the way, Joan also found the time and energy to work at the Walter Reed Convalescent Center, where she eased and comforted patients in the later stages of their lives.

After decades of caring for and serving others, Joan retired to enjoy “Dorgan’s Landing,” the idyllic property she and Pat created on the banks of the Piankatank River. It became a magnetic gathering spot for countless events for family and friends. Joan loved entertaining and sharing all the property had to offer, whether it was with her card club group or with her large extended family of nieces, nephews, cousins, and grandchildren. She could always be counted upon to have her homemade onion dip on hand, and took particular pride in spoiling guests with her famous “Penn Hotel” crabcakes. She greeted everyone who came to visit with her familiar, cheery Baltimore-ism, “Hey, hon!”
Although Joan slowed down physically in the waning years of her life, her intellect remained sharp, her heart full, and her spirit positive and generous until the very end. Whether you knew her as Joan, Aunt Joan, Mrs. Dorgan, Mom, or Nana, you could always count on her for her generosity with her time and attention, and her commitment to being present in the moment. She had an uncanny ability to remember and acknowledge countless birthdays and anniversaries for family and friends. “It’s good to be together” was, and is, the family refrain Joan embraced and exemplified.

The family is heartbroken to lose her humble, caring and loving soul, but they are comforted in knowing she is now re-united with her soulmate Pat. Left to celebrate her memory and carry on her legacy are her cherished younger brother, Joe (Sue); her children, Patrick (Meghan), Katie (Jim), and Colleen (Nate), and the “great 8” grandchildren, Grace, Harrison, Connor, Addy, James Hoover, James Davies, Ryan and Colson. Her extended family of cousins, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nephews, nieces and friends she considered as family all held special places in her heart. She was incredibly thankful for her relationships with all “the Babes” but none more so than the one she enjoyed with her best friend, Carol Curran.

Father Gregory Kandt will conduct a Funeral Mass at 12 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2024, at the Church of St. Therese of the Little Flower, 6262 Main Street, Gloucester, Virginia.

In memory of Joan, contributions may be made to the Ware River Circle of The King’s Daughters and Sons, P.O. Box 103, Ware Neck, Va. 23178, a non-profit volunteer interdenominational service organization Joan proudly served in and with for over a decade. The organization’s primary philanthropic beneficiary is the Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in Norfolk, Virginia.

Services under the direction of Hogg Funeral Home.