Joanne Rubbo, obituary

Wed, 05/20/2026 - 2:21pm

Joanne Rubbo

Joanne Rubbo* was liberated from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease on April 7, 2026 in Augusta, Maine. Each of her five children got to say goodbye before she drew her last breath.

Joanne was born in Waterbury Connecticut in 1950, the second child of John Rubbo and Josephine Varanese. She was raised in a crowded, multi-generational home in Oakville, where Italian relatives played music and crushed grapes for wine. She graduated from Watertown High School, but left college to marry Albert Daddona, setting off a chain of stunningly unexpected events that led to her 42-year separation from friends and family members. Ironically, it was Early Onset Alzheimer’s that freed her mind, allowing Joanne to reconnect with siblings, old schoolmates, and her children.

Joanne spent most of her adult life in Maine, a natural landscape that brought her great joy and peace. She channeled her compassion into a career as a caregiver, working in nursing homes, providing live-in care and domestic services, and retiring as a home health aid. Her free time was spent outdoors, hiking northern New England, gardening at her camp in Union, and experimenting with photography. In later years she developed enduring friendships in the Kittery and York areas of Southern Maine.

Joanne was preceded in death by her grandparents Domenico Rubbo, Mariana Zeoli, Incoronata Palumbo and Joseph Varenese; her parents, John and Josephine; and her ex-husband, Albert.

She is survived by her siblings, Domenico Rubbo and Maryanne Swiatek; and her children, Talitha Daddona, Joel Daddona, Michelle Cross Smith, Jessi Cross, and Joshua Cross.

Joanne’s memorial service is Saturday, June 27, at 4 p.m., at the Vesper Hill Children’s Chapel in Rockport Maine. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Nature Conservancy of Maine would be greatly appreciated.

*Known for several decades as Joanne Cross, she changed her name back to Joanne Rubbo in 2018.