Joe was a faith filled man and his faith was a very important part of his and his wife Theresa’s life. He attended Holy Mass with her throughout his life. Most recently Joe was a communicant at Church of the Holy Spirit. He opened his own Labor Relations company and was an excellent negotiator. He retired from work at the age of seventy.
Michael proudly began his career as a Rochester city police officer in 1965. He said he became a police officer because he wanted to make the world a better place. Michael was a recipient of commendation awards for bravery. He stayed active with retired police groups, the Locust Club and Italio (Italian American Law Enforcement Officers of Greater Rochester). He retired from the RPD in 1988 and had careers as Vice President of Security at Kleen Brite corporation and Director of Security at Frontier. He was a parishioner of Holy Spirit Church.
Magda was a devout Catholic, and a parishioner at St. Joseph’s Church. Magda was a teacher’s assistant at Council Rock Primary School in The Brighton Central School District. She thoroughly enjoyed working with all the faculty and children there during her 27-year tenure.
Maureen was a parishioner at St. Joseph’s Church. She attended mass until she became ill in 2012. Maureen worked as a waitress at numerous restaurants around Rochester over the years. She went on to work at Rochester Telephone and LiDestri Food and Drink holding several different office positions. Maureen had a wonderful, wholesome personality, was a hard worker and was industrious.
Steve was a parishioner at St. Joseph’s Church for many years. He loved being a part of the community and was involved in many organizations including the Italian Heritage Foundation, East Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Midvale Country Club, and Penfield Little League, to name a few. He will be remembered for his optimism and how he helped people.
Rennie was a member of St Joseph’s since 1962. Throughout her life, she leaned into her faith to get through difficult times. Rennie was active in Rotary-Anns, HIHO -Happiness is Helping Others, Book Clubs, and the Oasis Program. She was an elementary school teacher at various schools over many years. She also taught English As A Second Language in the City of Rochester, at School 17.
Josephine was a parishioner of Holy Spirit Church. She went to Church every Sunday until she could no longer drive. Over the years, she was involved in Rosary Society and bingo at the church and was also involved in the community in the Italian Women’s Club.
Elizabeth was a parishioner at Holy Spirit Church. She was a devoted and practicing Catholic. Elizabeth worked for the Penfield Central School system and later for Strong Memorial Hospital where she retired at the age of 66.
Kathy was an active member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, the Daughters of the American Revolution and Worldwide Marriage Encounter. She was a member of St. Joseph’s for over 20 years and was a long-time member of the Monday Morning bible study group. Kathy will be remembered for her loving presence, caring, and deep faith.
Larry was a respected dentist in the Rochester community, practicing for 60 years, finally semi-retiring at the age of 87. He was a parishioner at St. Joseph’s since 2002.
Jim was a parishioner at St. Joseph’s 42 years. To know Jim was to love him. He always had a kind word and a smile, would listen intently, and make others feel comfortable.
Mary Jane was a longtime parishioner at St. Joseph’s. She was a daily Mass Minister of Communion until she moved to the Legacy and was instrumental in offering Communion to the residents of Grand Vie for as long as she could drive. Mary Jane was also a sacristan for many years. Every Friday, after attending mass, she would take part in saying the rosary, then would join the sacristan team after that. Mary Jane spent the majority of her life caring for her large family and in service to her various Catholic Church communities in Rochester and Florida. She ended her lifelong service as a volunteer at a nursing home at age 88.
John was a parishioner at St. Joseph’s church. His professional passion for engineering and innovation was reflected in all he did. John was always there to lend a hand or be a mentor to anyone who needed him – co-workers, neighbors, family, and friends.
Maria came from Italy in November 1966 with her husband Cristoforo and her daughter. Maria worked very hard all her life to give her children a better life. She was an amazing woman loved by everyone and ready to help at any time.
Maureen was employed by Eastman Kodak Company as Chief Operator for many years and retired in 1991. She sent her five children to Catholic school (including St Joseph School), took them to Mass and Confession, and celebrated all of the Sacraments with them. Maureen walked in faith every day and exemplified the true meaning of Love and Gods promise of everlasting life.
Mary Ellen had great faith and was a constant example of kindness. She was a parishioner of St. Joe’s for 58 years. Mary Ellen was a money counter, worked closely with Fr. Moynihan, was Parish Council secretary, a Minister of Communion, a daily Mass participant and brought Communion to Atria.
Mamie tirelessly baked Italian desserts, year after year, for the St. Joseph’s table at church. She was a very strong believer of her Catholic faith and the power of prayer. Mamie started every day praying – fervently praying the rosary, every single day.
To prepare to be a liturgical minister, Don became a cantor before he was a deacon. Preparation for the liturgy was going to be an important part of the deaconate ministry, so he learned all there was to learn. He put a lot of time, thought and prayer into homily preparation. He was always well-prepared for his homilies and often incorporated appropriate music. Sometimes he sang a refrain and sometimes he asked the assembly to sing along. Don prepared Presider books for our Lenten Season prayers of Adoration and Benediction. The Presider books that our deacons currently use for Baptism were originally created by Don. He also was the person who first made the suggestion for us to have an In Memoriam page in the bulletin. We have since moved that page to our website. He loved being a member of the Musical Ensemble who began as a new group at our former 5pm Mass. They were a family. Don created a charismatic prayer group that he named ‘Festival of Praise’. They met once a month beginning in 2013. The prayer group involved sharing and singing praise songs, praying with scripture and taking some time for private prayer and group response. People from around the area attended. Even as his health declined, he served as our deacon as often as he possibly could. He was an inspiration to our parish.