Joan Sforza

Joan Helen Sforza, from Wirtz, VA passed away Thursday, March 27, 2025, at the age of 77. Joan, more famously known as “Nana” to her grandchildren, was born in New York. From exploring the world, riding camels in Egypt, watching bull-fighting in Spain, to teaching her grandchildren how to swim, there wasn’t an adventure she couldn’t wait to explore.

Nana was loving, kind, caring, and could talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime. She had an authentic way of making anyone feel like they were a part of the family the minute she met them.

Joan lived in Copiague, N.Y. for most of her early life, always climbing trees, sailing around the Great South Bay, and “assisting” her dad at the firehouse, thinking she was a firefighter like him, just like the tomboy she was. She had two daughters, Debbie and Karen, who she raised to be as independent and strong as she was. They were three peas in a pod always laughing and enjoying life together.

She met her husband, Mike, while in New York. After a few years gallivanting around, they decided to make the move to beautiful Virginia. They settled in the foothills of the Shenandoah mountains in Franklin County and started their new journey in a beautiful log cabin on Smith Mountain Lake. There wasn’t a summer that the house wasn’t filled with the family running around outside playing lawn games, dinners squeezed around the table, and competitive games of Phase 10 (which she somehow managed to always win!) or a time that she wasn’t with friends, trading memories and playing board games, or listening and grooving to the oldies. She filled her days being in a line dancing group, where she got to dress up in fun costumes that she loved and perform around the county. There wasn’t a conversation that you had with her that she wasn’t filling you in on her latest bingo day or card game that she went to or telling you about her recent cruise (which she swears by that it has to be at least 7 nights) or the next bus trip she was longing to go on.

She spent time every summer with her friends and family at the beach, teaching her grandchildren the proper way to go ‘crabbing’ just like she did with her dad. Her zest for life was contagious and you could see that through how she lived every day to the fullest. She always made sure that we knew “If you had somewhere to go, you go”.

She was the strongest person we knew and was given the nickname “tough stuff”, which fit her perfectly.

“Joan”, “Joanie”, “Nana”, “Naner”, “tough stuff”, “Ma”, “Mom” , and new title to-be “great grandmother” will join her husband, Mike, in heaven (I’m sure talking about the next vacation they are going to go on) and leaves behind her two children, Debbie and Karen and their spouses, Vinny and Sal, and her grandchildren and their significant others, Jennifer, Danielle, Devin, and Brandon, and CJ, Cody, Brittany, and Zoey and her family, Philip and Brian, and many more friends and family who won’t go a day without continuing to feel her arms still wrapped around them.

Funeral services will be conducted 11:00 AM Saturday, March 29, 2025 at Conner-Bowman Funeral Home with Pastor Rick Poland officiating. Interment will follow in Mountain View Memorial Park. Her family will receive friends one hour prior to the service beginning at 10 AM at the funeral home.

Arrangements by Conner-Bowman Funeral Home & Crematory, 62 VA Market Place Drive, Rocky Mount, VA 24151.