Joanna Lynn Zilfi

ZILFI, Joanna Lynn, Registered Nurse
Of Norwood, beloved daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Williams) Zilfi, died suddenly of heart failure on June 22, 2020, at the age of 41. She leaves behind her loving sisters and brothers-in-law, Paul and Karen Murphy of Norwood, Michael and Katherine Lee Gatto, of Cumming, Georgia, Kenneth and Jillian DeMuth of Walpole, and Anthony and Kristen DeLuca, of Walpole and her brother Joseph Zilfi, Jr., of Norwood. She is the niece of Sabri S. Zilfi of Canton, Dr. Madeline Zilfi of College Park, Maryland, and Mary Williams of Gloucester. She was predeceased by her aunt Dee Dee Zilfi of LaMirada, California and her uncle Robert Williams of Gloucester. She was a loving and doting aunt to Paul, Catherine, Colleen and Patrick Murphy, the late Michael Gatto, Meghan, Matthew and Mikayla Gatto, Kevin, John and Juliet DeMuth, and Karolina, Sophia, and Gianna DeLuca. She also leaves her cousin Billy Margrabe of Manhattan, New York with whom she was especially close. As a child, she performed in the Boston Ballet's The Nutcracker production for several seasons. Joanna graduated from Norwood High School in 1997, graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a degree in political science and then graduated from the bachelor of nursing program at the University of South Florida. Joanna was a nursing supervisor for the Charlwell House Health and Rehabilitation Center for many years where she was well respected by her colleagues and had just recently become the Assistant Director of Nurses for the Ellis Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Joanna loved her family, was a true friend who could always be counted on, and was a fierce proponent of social justice. She cared deeply for animals, especially cats, having rescued many over the years. Services will be held at a later date. Donations may be made in her memory to the Norwood Scholarship Foundation, P. O. Box 112, Norwood, MA 02062 ( www.norwood.dollarsforscholars.org ) where a nursing scholarship has been established in her name.