Joan Florence Wilson, 63, passed away at the UVM Medical Center in Burlington, VT, on Saturday, July 29, 2017. Born in Rockville Centre, NY, on January 16, 1954, she was the daughter of the late Robert and Ruth (Kearney) Wilson. On October 22, 1988, she married John B. Gallagher in Rockville Centre, NY.
Joan graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead, NY, and then continued her education at the College of New Rochelle, receiving her BA degree in finance and then completed the master’s program in finance at Iona College. For the next 30 years Joan worked on Wall Street as a bond broker, retiring from Bank of America in 2005. After moving to the Mad River Valley, Joan and John founded the Waitsfield Wine Shoppe on Main Street in December 2006. This was a natural segue for Joan, whose father was a wine importer when she was younger. This gave her the ability to ask many questions and sample a wide variety of wines.
Joan had attained a level three certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers in London and she was also certified by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) in London. Their store was acclaimed to have over 1,000 different wines and 350 different craft beers, giving them the distinction of having one of the largest selections in the state.
In her leisure time, she enjoyed traveling when she had a chance, golf, bicycling and returning to Manhattan to visit.
Joan is survived by her husband of 29 years, John B. Gallagher of Waitsfield; her sister, Ann Tulley of CA; as well as two nephews and a niece.
Funeral services will be held from Our Lady of the Snows Church, 6305 Main Street, Waitsfield, VT, on Monday, August 7, 2017, at 11 a.m. Friends may call at Perkins-Parker Funeral Home, 48 South Main, Waterbury, VT, on Sunday evening, August 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. Interment will take place in Waitsfield Village Cemetery. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts would be appreciated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (www.stjude.org). To send online condolences please visit www.perkinsparker.com.
