Joann Marie Priga (Mandracchia) was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on April 17, 1948 to the late Augustus & Mary (Tornetta) Mandracchia.  Joann graduated from Bishop Kenrick High School in 1966.

Joann was born and raised in Norristown and worked for her father, Gus, waitressing at Gus’s Diner throughout her high school years and into her 20’s.  Joann was an interior decorator with Home Interiors, Inc. for several years gaining many lifelong friends along the way. She worked at Handy & Harman Tube Company in Norristown until she relocated to New Jersey in 1996. When she moved to New Jersey, she worked for Pillsbury in Swedesboro, NJ until she retired. After retirement, she worked part-time as a Client Relations Specialist at Argosy Management Group, where she continued to work until 2021.

Joann was actively involved in many organizations throughout her life.  She was the President of the Holy Savior Mother’s Club until 1989 and the Conshohocken Lioness Club in the early 1990’s. Joann was also the Founder of Birthright of Bridgeport in the early 1980’s giving support to women of any age experiencing unplanned pregnancies. Joann was also the Assistant Girls Basketball Coach at Holy Savior School in the late 1980’s while being involved with the Holy Savoir CYO. She chaired many fundraisers throughout her involvement with these organizations, most notably, the fashion shows she coordinated.

From 2000 until 2020, Joann was actively involved with the Republican Party in Gloucester County and West Deptford Township.  Joann served as Chair for the West Deptford Republican Party, as well as Secretary for the Gloucester County GOP.  In February 2020, Joann was honored at the Annual Lincoln-Reagan Dinner for her 20 years of hard work and accomplishments serving the Republican Party. She was presented with the prestigious Challenge Coin Award, joining many notable past recipients including Mayors, Congressman, a Lt. Governor, and US Ambassador.

Joann loved her family more than anything and enjoyed the holidays and entertaining guests. She loved cooking for the holidays, and baking cookies at Christmas.  Her signature recipe is her homemade chocolate cake, but for those who were never so lucky to experience her cake, they would say her gravy and meatballs. Over the summer months, she loved 4^th of July parties at the home she shared with her late husband Cliff, where kids would swim late into the night and set fireworks off at the end of the block attracting all the neighbors. She enjoyed traveling with Cliff.  Their favorite place to visit together was Vermont, driving every back road Cliff could find and taking the most beautiful, scenic pictures.

Joann is survived by her children: daughter Mary Mack (Glenolden, PA), and step children that she lovingly raised as her own, Fay Chisarik (Pitman) and John (Carneys Point), her grandchildren, Adriana, Jeffrey, and Vincent Gaul, 3 grand-dogs and 6 grand-cats. She is survived also by her brothers Augustus (Carmella) Mandracchia and Charles Mandracchia, as well as several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. She is preceded in death by her husbands, Francis (Fran/Rancy) Mack in 1993, and Cliff Priga in 2020.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate her life Saturday 9:00-11:00 AM at the Egizi Funeral Home, 119 Ganttown Road, Washington Township, New Jersey. Funeral service 11:00 AM.  Interment, Gloucester County Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Williamstown.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (www.jdrf.org) for her granddaughter who was diagnosed at age 7, or to Stop Soldier Suicide (https://stopsoldiersuicide.org/donate) for her grandson, Jeffrey, who is active duty in the United States Marine Corp.

“A Life Well Lived Is Worth Remembering”