Joan Alex Auletta

Joan Alex Auletta died on October 18, 2026, in Ithaca, New York. She was born in Queens on November 30, 1946, and grew up in New Hyde Park, Long Island, graduating from Herricks High School. She began college at the University of Buffalo, then transferred to the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated with a degree in Italian. Seattle became her hometown and home for the next 40 years. In 2011 she moved to Ithaca to be near her family. Joan loved cats and crafts, which she enjoyed doing with friends and her grandchildren. She is survived by her brother Richard Auletta, sister Gloria Auletta Bailey, daughter Juliet Crawford Schwab, son-in-law Justin Schwab, and grandchildren Auletta, Lincoln, and Lucy Schwab.