Joana (Kolevaite) Melninkas

Joana (Kolevaite) Melninkas

Our beloved mother, Joana Melninkas, passed away peacefully at the age of 98, on Wednesday, August 28, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of the late Albertas Melninkas.

Joana was born on April 18, 1926, in a quaint town in Lithuania. In the 1950s, she and her husband immigrated to Waterbury, CT, with their first daughter, eventually settling in Watertown, CT, to raise their family. In their later years, Joana and Albertas moved to Bethlehem, CT, to enjoy a quiet retirement.

Throughout her life, Joana worked in various industries, but her heart was always with her family. She was a devoted mother, who raised her four daughters with the highest of morals and standards, a loving grandmother to her nine grandchildren, and a doting great-grandmother to her eleven great-grandchildren. Joana was the true matriarch of her family, known for her exceptional skills as a gardener, cook, baker, and seamstress, and for her love of all animals. Her family believed there was nothing she couldn’t do. A lifelong communicant of St. Joseph’s Church, Joana’s passing marks the end of a classic generation, and she will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

She is survived by her four daughters: Grazina Prout, Diane (and husband Mike) Macezinskas, Christina Macary, and Julia Marcy. Joana is also survived by her many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Joana was predeceased by her parents, Anna and August Kahlau, her four brothers, John, Valentine, Victor, and Albert, and her sister, Albina Paliulis. She was also predeceased by the husbands of three of her daughters: David Prout Sr., Peter Macary, and Paul Marcy.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to VITAS Healthcare at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Visiting hours will be held on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, from 8:30 am to 10:30 am, at Colasanto Funeral Home, 932 Bank St., Waterbury. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Church, 46 Congress Ave., Waterbury, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024, at 11:00 am. Burial will follow in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Watertown, CT.

To leave online condolences, please visit us at www.colasantofh.com.

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