Joseph J Collura

Schenectady - With great sadness, we mourn the loss of Joseph J. Collura, who passed peacefully on Tuesday, December 27, 2016 at age 95. Like many members of Our Greatest Generation, Joe was born to immigrant parents, persevered through the Great Depression, proudly served our country during WWII, and thanks to the G.I. Bill had the privilege to earn a college degree. All of these events and experiences helped shape the man we knew and loved for his integrity, high moral standards, warmth, quick wit, winsome smile, and most importantly, his living example of faith and love. Joe was born on May 9, 1921 in Carbondale, Pennsylvania, the eighth of twelve children of Rosario and Maria (Burgio) Collura. He was predeceased by his loving and devoted wife of 59 years, Antoinette M. (LaMotta) Collura, who he faithfully cared for as she struggled with dementia. Joe was also predeceased by all of his beloved brothers, sisters and some nieces and nephews. He is survived by his loving family including his four children - Russell (Cheryl), Maria, Christine (Bob) Burns, and Tom (Barbara), nine grandchildren - Jo, Christina, Ariel (Roman), Kayla, Gina, Matthew, Lindsey, Meghan, and Joseph Maxwell, three great-grandchildren - Shayna, Jolie, and Avery, and countless nieces, nephews, and other family members, including the newest addition in April, Francis Xavier Piccotti - his great, great, great nephew. Joe was a Non-Commissioned Officer, Master Sergeant, in the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII serving with the 42nd Mobile Reclamation and Repair Squadron in the United States and European Theatre from August 1942 to November 1945. His squadron arrived at Omaha Beach within one week of D-Day. In his memoirs, he recalled the long-awaited invasion of the continent and described his fellow soldiers as “existentialists, living for the moment and not thinking of the consequences”, even though the “supreme sacrifice, life itself, became a reality to many valiant men.” Joe was fortunate to later rejoice during Liberation Day in May 1945 when he saw the lighting of the lamps on the Grand Concourse in Paris. After the War, Joe was the first member of his family to receive a college degree – graduating with a B.S., Accounting, magna cum laude, from the University of Scranton in 1949. Soon after, he met the love of his life, Ann LaMotta, through a mutual family friend in Brooklyn and within months they were married, expecting a child, and had moved from NYC to San Francisco. Joe always described those years as the “days of wine and roses”. He had an interesting career working as a traffic sales representative for the Nickle Plate Road and Norfolk & Western Railroads, and later relocated to Schenectady to join a family construction company as comptroller. Joe was known for his quiet disposition and was quick with a smile, compliment, or joke, even during his last days with us. He was a devout Catholic and always reminded us of God’s grace during any conversation or personal note or letter. Being Jesuit-educated, he was well-read in theology, philosophy, and the liberal arts and had a great love of nature, gardening, and the arts, particularly classical music, opera and the theater. He always added some class to any occasion or knowledge to any conversation – perhaps because, unlike the rest of us, he had read the book, thought before speaking, or was the only one wearing a tie. And he was also generous to a fault with his sharp-witted criticism and his humorous comments and observations are legendary. Joe’s family would like to thank all of our dear family and friends who stayed in touch with him over the years and most recently helped celebrate his 95th birthday. We are particularly grateful to his caretakers, Helene, Margaret, Bill, Wanda, and Ellen, and the staff of Capital Living & Rehabilitation Centre and The Community Hospice of Albany, for their loving care and attention, and the dignity they gave him, during the recent decline in his health. Calling hours are Thursday, December 29, 6 to 8 p.m. at DeMarco-Stone Funeral Home, 1605 Helderberg Avenue, Rotterdam. Funeral services will begin Friday, December 30th at 9:15am at the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. at St. Madeleine Sophie Parish, 3500 Carmen Road, Schenectady. In lieu of flowers, family and friends are welcome to make a donation to The Community Hospice, 295 Valley View Blvd., Rensselaer, NY 12144 or Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, 40 North Main Ave., Albany, NY 12203.