Joan Marie Moynagh

JOAN MARIE MOYNAGH – August 3, 1925 – September 22,  2018

Joan Marie Moynagh was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, on August 3, 1925, to John R. and Irene Fennelly Moynagh.  She was educated in elementary and secondary Catholic schools, and was graduated with a B.A. from  Regis College in Weston, MA, in 1947.  Her M.A. degree was conferred at Instituto Pio Dodicesimo, Florence, Italy.

Her professional career began as a member of the New England Opera Theater in Boston at the Tanglewood Festival, after being discovered by opera impresario, Boris Goldovsky.

After studying in Siena, Italy, she made her Italian opera debut in Florence in 1951.  She sang throughout Europe until 1957 when she returned to the U.S. to make her Carnegie Hall debut in 1957, singing an all-Mozart concert.

She went on to sing leading roles in the Dallas, San Francisco, Chicago and Santa Fe opera companies and was a soloist with the Boston, Philadelphia and Worcester Music Festival Symphonies.  Her performing career spanned numerous other venues.

From 1960-64 Joan was an assistant professor of music at the University of Illinois. She  spent the next two years as a vocal coach in Italy before joining the faculty of Miami University (Oxford ,Ohio),  in the fall of 1967.  She was an associate professor of music (voice) at Miami until retiring in 1998.

Joan’s Catholicism guided her life.  She described herself as a “spiritual pilgrim”.  She was deeply devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to Mary, His mother.  She was a faithful daily communicant. Joan made the Gospel come alive by her tireless devotion to helping countless people in her life who were in need.  She continued giving in death, by donating her body to medical research.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, John. 

A truly extraordinary woman, Joan will be dearly missed by her family and friends.  She leaves her eleven beloved nieces and nephews: John R. Moynagh III of Shrewsbury, MA; Elizabeth Thomson, of Harwich Port, MA; Mary Kate McCarty of Schenectady, NY; Anthony X. Moynagh of Annapolis, MD; Margaret Moynagh of Harwich Port, MA; Peter Fennelly Moynagh of Harwich Port, MA; Joan Marie Moynagh of Milton, MA; Charles C. Moynagh of Los Angeles. CA; Katherine Sheahan of Wilton, CT; Joseph Moynagh of Milton, MA; and James Moynagh of Chatham, MA, as well as twenty grand nieces and nephews.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary Catholic Church, Oxford, OH, on Saturday, October 13, at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made toThe Oxford Choice Food Pantry,  P.O. Box 391,  Oxford, OH  45056,  or to any other organization which helps to feed the hungry.

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