On July 1, 2026, Joan Marie Elizabeth Rice Hastings, 99, passed peacefully in the comfort of her home in Burbank, CA. Born on August 9, 1926 to Johanna Sheehan Rice and Philip Rice in Brooklyn, New York, Joan was the second of four daughters. She attended Our Lady of Angels parochial school, followed by Fontbonne Hall Academy.
Early in her childhood, Joan realized she had been blessed with the gift of singing. At the age of six years old, she was asked to work with older students at Our Lady of Angels and learned to sing “Ave Maria” in Latin for the school’s May Crowning celebration in which Joan was honored to sing a solo. Her mother encouraged her to sing and often accompanied Joan to singing auditions for various radio shows.
When Joan was 14 years old, she first met her husband, Robert Francis Hastings, Sr., while they were singers on the radio show, “Coast to Coast on a Bus.” Years later, they began to date and were wed on January 25, 1948 at Our Lady of Angels church in Brooklyn, NY. Over the course of the next seven years, they welcomed four children and the family relocated to Burbank, CA in 1960, when Bob was offered more acting opportunities, most notably the television series, “McHale’s Navy.”
Throughout her life, Joan was a devout Catholic, and was known to ask for a special dispensation whenever St. Patrick’s Day fell on a Friday during Lent so she could serve corned beef at her and Bob’s annual St. Paddy’s Day parties! Since moving to Burbank, Joan was a fixture at St. Finbar Parish, serving on the school’s Parent Guild, singing soprano in the church’s choir for 15 years, and as a cantor during weekday Masses for more than 30 years. She was known to end each Mass with a smile and saying to the congregation, “thank you for singing.” Additionally, Joan volunteered weekly as a religious education teacher through the Released Time Program for 35 years, which was something that brought her great joy.
Joan is survived by daughter Tricia Stone (Jim), sons Bob Jr. (Sandee) and Michael (Katherine), daughter Mary Joan, 10 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 66 years, Bob, her parents, three sisters, a few nieces and nephews, and two great-grandchildren. She will be deeply missed by her family and the countless others whose lives she touched.
A rosary and funeral Mass will be held to honor and celebrate her life on Saturday, August 8, 2026, 10AM at St. Finbar Church in Burbank, CA
