Joseph Michael Fodero (1932 – 2022)
Joseph Michael Fodero, 89, born July 6, 1932, passed away on March 14, 2022, in Portland, Ore., where he had been living since November 2019.
Born in Bethlehem, Pa., he was the eldest of his parents’ (Salvatore Fodero and Angeline Diuro) 10 children. Born to a working-class family, he learned at an early age the importance of family, hard work and the desire to educate himself; the key to advancing one’s lot in life.
An early interest in weightlifting, gymnastics, balancing and tumbling became an important pursuit, earning him many trophies and awards at various collegiate, regional and national levels. Drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict, he served in Germany as part of the post-World War II occupation forces, traveling through the country as a documents courier. This began his love for travel; to see new places and meet new people, to gain a larger perspective of life. Using the GI Bill to help pay for his education, he graduated from Springfield College in Massachusetts and the University of North Carolina in Greensboro, and earned his Doctorate in Education while teaching at SUNY Oneonta. Joseph was a faculty member in the physical education department at SUNY Oneonta, serving as the first and only coach for the men’s gymnastics team and additionally as coach for the men’s cross country running and orienteering teams. He taught various classes on performance, physiology and the sociology of sport. He encouraged a spirit of competition in his teams, but in equal measure, emphasized the importance of enjoying the art of sport and the value of good sportsmanship, earning him the respect and friendship of many of his young athletes.
Proud of his heritage, he was an active member in the Oneonta Italian American Club, a consultant for the design of the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club, and an active and staunch advocate for those with mental illness and/or developmental disabilities, notably with ARC and NAMI. His volunteer role in this capacity helped to destigmatize those who by no choice of their own are differently abled, and he strove to reduce marginalization.
Joseph loved music, attending musical performances, dancing and the visual arts, and believed that change and peace could most effectively be made by those with a creative passion. He also was an avid camper, hiker, cross country skier and was equally pleased to explore rivers and lakes by canoe or kayak. His church, he said, was “the cathedral of the pines.” He laughed, loved and lived.
SURVIVORS
He is survived by his wife: Nancy Fodero; and two children: Anthony (Cathy) and Lisa; brother: Frank Fodero; and five sisters: Kathryn Nichols, Nancy Pearl, Roberta Cherkis, Clara Fodero and Marie Rummel; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers: Albert and Salvatore; and sister: Helen.
Joe left this world quietly, in his sleep, without the grip of fear or pain, while under the compassionate and professional care of the Veterans Administration of Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., to whom we are immensely grateful.
