Johanna Julia DeCrisci's Obituary
On the evening of September 5, 2025, Johanna Julia DeCrisci, nee Prester unexpectedly departed this world for the next. As she stood before her Creator and Savior, she was “clothed with strength and dignity. She can laugh at the days to come.” Proverbs 31:25
Johanna was born to Salvatore and Constance (Shimkus) Prester on September 29, 1941. The oldest of their three daughters, Johanna was raised in a home that laid the cornerstone for the hospitality, warmth, and laughter that she would build her life upon. While growing up in a multigenerational home that valued authenticity and quality time, Johanna had close relationships with her extended family to include grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins. She would use this foundation to bring forth a family that is devoted, welcoming, and thrives on laughter.
Johanna’s life was a beautiful and complex mosaic constructed from vast experiences and fastened together by understated strength and dignity. She held numerous professional positions over the years to include the Utica Telephone Company, General Electric, and she eventually retired from USAirways after serving in their Accounting and Administration Department. However, this describes just one facet of the gem that Johanna was to those who love her.
Johanna married her love for a lifetime at the tender age of 20. She and Gene built a family focused on lasting commitment, deep devotion, and mutual respect. She created a home for her husband and children that echoed the sentiments of her own upbringing. Johanna was relentlessly relationship driven, often asking the hard questions and sought genuine connection through conversation. Her hospitality had no rival, and she created magical moments out of the mundane. Her dinner parties and holiday gatherings were creatively decorated, warmly inviting, and offered an abundance of delicious food. She was the keeper of family lore and established rich and intentional traditions that have become her legacy.
Johanna was quick to laugh, easy in banter, and was often the first on the dance floor. She introduced her children to Motown, swing, and was even known to country line dance. Her grandchildren benefited from her dance lessons, tight hugs, and lessons on strategy over a deck of cards. Visits with her grandchildren often included craft projects, a game, or story time. She was on hand when each of her grandchildren entered this world and was one of the first to hold many of them. Nana, as she was known to her grandchildren, played on the floor, splashed in the river, and cheered them on beside sports fields, while they danced or played instruments in recitals, as they walked graduation stages, and as they grew into adulthood. Johanna loved each of them deeply. Her heart knew depths of devotion and care that few are capable of containing. She loved so abundantly that she cared sacrificially for children not her own and grafted in children from extended family; many had the pleasure of calling her Nana. Above all, she loved her grandchildren and great grandchild with unparalleled devotion.
Even in times of intense trial and heartache, Johanna demonstrated grace and strength in the face of adversity. As the wife of an active-duty Army soldier, she served alongside her husband by supporting him through numerous deployments. In his absence, she established a household of stability and strength, rooted in devotion to each other and buoyed by the joy and laughter that her children provided. She leaned heavily upon her God while she grieved the loss of two of her sons, one during infancy and the other in his forties. Additionally, she fought valiantly against cancer and won her battle with a quiet peace that can only be found in the Lord. During the 63 years Johanna and Gene were married, she acted as a cherished anchor for her husband and as a safety net for their children and grandchildren regardless of her own circumstances. She brought to fruition a life characterized by unwavering love, deep bonds, and profound sacrifice.
Johanna is survived by her three loving children, Gina DeCrisci-Farmer and son in law, Brian; Vincent DeCrisci and daughter in law, Dana; Dana Murdock and son in law, Bob; and daughter in law, Beth; her grandchildren: Krystal, Justin and Laura, Salvatore, Vincent, Victoria, Nicholas, Adam, Serena, Eli, Johanna, Gabrielle and Colin, and Joseph; her great granddaughter, Charlotte; her sister, Carol Owens; her sister and brother in law, Juliette and Dennis Giovinazzo; her brother in law and sister in law, Joseph and Kathleen Barilla, Jr.; along with numerous nieces and nephews, as well as countless extended family and friends. She was predeceased by her parents, Salvatore and Constance Prester; husband, Eugene R. DeCrisci; sons, Rocco S. DeCrisci and Eugene R. DeCrisci II; brother-in-law, Alvin Owens; sister-in-law, Carmella DeCrisci; and great nephew, Brooks Miles Rorick.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Johanna’s funeral service, which will be held on Friday, October 3, 2025, at 1:00 pm at Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church, 46639 Algonkian Parkway, Sterling, Virginia 20165, where her Mass of Christian Burial will be offered by Father Smith. The family will receive visitors prior to the mass in the lobby from 12:15-1:00 pm. Those wishing to express an act of kindness may make a donation in Johanna’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the American Cancer Society.
The family would like to extend our sincere thanks to the dedicated and caring staff at Sunrise at Countryside. Many of you have expressed your admiration of Mom and have shared your grief in her passing. We appreciate your warmth and care during this difficult time.
What’s your fondest memory of Johanna?
What’s a lesson you learned from Johanna?
Share a story where Johanna's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Johanna you’ll never forget.
How did Johanna make you smile?