Birth date: Feb 25, 1938 Death date: Feb 28, 2026
LORETTA JOAN O'CONNOR, of Ashburn, Virginia passed on Saturday February 28, 2026 in Leesburg, VA. Born Friday, February 25, 1938, she was the daughter of the late Frederick Gebhardt and the late Loretta Gebhardt. She was the wife Read Obituary
Joan was a lovely person and a dear friend to me and to many others at Ashby Ponds.
Marie Lawall
Thank you for being such a wonderful grandmother to Liam. He adored you and is blessed to have so many fond memories spending time with you. Liam and I donated to The Humane Society of Loudoun County in your honor. While I had not seen you in many years, I will always remember your warmth and beautiful smile.
Love,
Jen
Mom, you were my home; now you’re my star.
I was blessed to share so many precious memories with my grandma. Our trips to Williamsburg were some of my fondest memories of my childhood. From marching down the streets with my wooden musket, to getting ice cream when it was 15 degrees outside, or even getting chased down by a flock of geese (sorry for leaving you in the dust).
Another tradition we had was Christmas Eve. The unofficial goal each year was trying to make grandma cry happy tears from one of our presents. One Christmas, my dad and I came up with a plan. If you have been inside her home, you have most likely seen the various selection of Williamsburg dolls. So, I brought grandma in to this shop and casually asked her, “if you had to pick your favorite, which one would it be?” She pointed out her favorite and my dad snuck in after and bought it for her. Looking back, we probably weren’t as subtle as we thought we were, but when Christmas came around she opened the doll and of course, started crying.
From marching through the Williamsburg streets to our Christmas Eve tradition and many more in between , you were such a loving and generous grandma who made my childhood incredibly special. And no one will ever make chicken cutlets quite like you, excepts dad’s poor attempts.
Love you -Liam
I was blessed to share so many precious memories with my grandma. Our trips to Williamsburg were some of my fondest memories of my childhood. From marching down the streets with my wooden musket, to getting ice cream when it was 15 degrees outside, or even getting chased down by a flock of geese (sorry for leaving you in the dust).
Another tradition we had was Christmas Eve. The unofficial goal each year was trying to make grandma cry happy tears from one of our presents. One Christmas, my dad and I came up with a plan. If you have been inside her home, you have most likely seen the various selection of Williamsburg dolls. So, I brought grandma in to this shop and casually asked her, “if you had to pick your favorite, which one would it be?” She pointed out her favorite and my dad snuck in after and bought it for her. Looking back, we probably weren’t as subtle as we thought we were, but when Christmas came around she opened the doll and of course, started crying.
From marching through the Williamsburg streets to our Christmas Eve tradition and many more in between , you were such a loving and generous grandma who made my childhood incredibly special. And no one will ever make chicken cutlets quite like you, excepts dad’s poor attempts.
Love you -Liam
Joan has always been kind to me. I will always have her in my heart.
Nancy LeBow at Ashby Ponds
