E. Joan Schroll

Colonie- Ellen Joan Schroll passed away on September 21, 2016, after a long illness. Born on June 8, 1936, Joan was the daughter of the late Clifford and Dora (Anderson) Simmons. She was the beloved wife of the late Joseph F. Ketzer and the late Alfred A. Schroll; devoted mother of William J. Ketzer (Heather Cohen); and cherished grandmother of Eli Ketzer and Ike Ketzer.

Joan is survived by her brothers Clifford Simmons, Jr. (Jean) and Steven Simmons (Grace); friend and caregiver Mary Lee Cohen; step-daughter Joyce Sheehan; many loving nieces and nephews; and her extended family, including the Cohen family from Wurtsboro, NY; the Wells families from Monticello, NY; and the Jacobs family from Shoemakersville, PA. She is predeceased by her brother Ronald Simmons; sisters Elizabeth "'Betty" Gardner and June von Brock; and her dear longtime friend Charlotte Camden.

Born and raised in West Laurens, NY she graduated from Otego High School in 1953 and Albany Business College in 1956. A longtime resident of Colonie, she served in various administrative roles at the former NYS Office of Standards and Purchase (now OGS), West Albany Elementary School and Pine Grove United Methodist Church, where she was an active member for several decades. Joan loved gardening, birdwatching, crafts, AM radio and traveling. She also never walked away empty-handed from a good clearance sale.

Joan's family would like to thank the nursing and administrative staff of St. Peter's Rehabilitation and Nursing Center for their loving kindness and care as she prepared to take her light into another room. Relatives and friends are invited to call at the New Comer Funeral Home, 343 New Karner Road, Colonie on Tuesday, September 27, 2016 from 4:00pm-7:00pm. A funeral service will be held Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at 10:00am. Interment will take place immediately following the service at Memory Gardens, 983 Watervliet-Shaker Road, Colonie.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Joan's memory to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, 3 Oakland Avenue, Menands, NY 12204.