Joe Amabile
In Honor and Memory of Joe Amabile
When his son Nick caught his first-ever catfish and proudly brought it inside to show his dad, Joseph said, “Cool! Now go put that back.”
Joe’s quick wit permeated his everyday life, and led to countless lifelong connections. His longest friendships lasted over 70 years. As his daughter Jennifer recalls with a smile, once you were friends with Joe, you were friends for life. Joe wasn’t just loyal to his friends. He was also loyal to his doctors and caregivers.
He loved his local haunts: restaurants like his favorite, an Italian family spot La Cucina. Even as La Cucina changed hands throughout the years, the owners and staff always greeted him with, “Hey, Joe, how ya doin’?”
Joe loved being outdoors. Some of his favorite activities were hunting and fishing with friends. Being in nature helped ground him when life’s circumstances got difficult, especially since he often kept his struggles about MS to himself.
He loved to make people laugh. He often surprised his children with goofy greetings when they called him on the phone – one of Jennifer’s favorite greetings of his was, “Joe’s Pool Room, 8-Ball Speaking.” “It always caught me off-guard,” Jennifer recalls with a laugh.
Nick said that when he first learned to mow the lawn, his father came outside to assess the job he’d done. When he saw some grassy spots Nick had missed, without missing a beat he remarked, “Those are called skippers. Watch out for those.”
Donation appealed to Joe because he felt that by contributing to scientific research and improving others’ quality of life, his own life could be considered a success. “What he couldn't accomplish in life, he accomplished in death. Not only in regards to MS, but his whole life. Not that he wasn't already successful in his own right.” reflects Nick. Upon hearing that donation was a viable option for him, he lit up at the opportunity to make a meaningful and profound advancement in science. Not only did Joe live by his own advice – to not burn any bridges-- he also built new bridges of connection, all the way up until his death, and beyond.
