After an extended battle with cancer, former Pilot advertising manager, Joan McAllister died on Nov. 28.

For more than 30 years Joan was a well liked and valued collaborator of successive editors and Pilot staffs. Her connections within the archdiocese among priests and businesses helped create significant response to advertising sales. She had also developed quite a network of relationships with newspaper staff from other dioceses in New England and nationally. At meetings of the Catholic Press Association she could be seen chatting with fellow advertising execs and editors from across the U.S.

As much as she related to us the comings and goings of our national colleagues, she was more proud of Joe, her husband of 54 years and her children: Michael, Kathleen, James, Joseph and William and her 11 grandchildren. This was where she really shone in her reporting, tale telling and, shameless bragging. She was a great colleague, and a better wife, mother and grandmother, and friend.

A lifelong and proud resident of Hyde Park and a parishioner at Most Precious Blood Parish, Joan made the daily trek on the commuter rail from Cleary Square to Franklin Street and later to Tremont Street. When we moved to Brighton, she added another leg to her daily jaunt taking the Green Line from Park Street out to Brighton. We all marveled at her determination. She was adding years to her resume but she really did not seem to age.

When we all moved to Braintree, she realized that the time had come for her to retire. Although she would actually have been geographically closer to our new offices she would have had a much longer commute. Besides she had Joe and the kids and grandkids who would seize her time and attention.

Joan's Funeral Mass was celebrated at Most Precious Blood Church, Hyde Park on Dec. 3. She was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, West Roxbury.