| Obituary:
Joseph “Joe” Curtis, most recently of New Rochelle, NY, formally of White Plains, NY, passed away on Friday, September 3, 2010 at the age of 88.
Born on April 7, 1922 in Greenwich Village, NY to Joseph and Catherine (nee McCarthy), Joe attended John Adams High School, Ozone Park, NY and received a bachelors degree from Fordham University, Bronx, NY.
Joe served in the Army Air Corps in WWII and then, like many members of his family including his father, he became a New York City Policeman.
He took advantage of the GI Bill and got a masters degree in community recreation from New York University. Thus began his iconic career in Parks and Recreation. His professional path took him to various municipalities located in Maryland, Massachusetts and New York, but Joe often said he “lived a tale of two cities” referring to his commitment and devotion to two cities in particular – White Plains and New Rochelle.
He was the Parks and Recreation Commissioner in White Plains from 1959 – 1969 and then moved to the Commissioner position for the City of Boston, MA. In 1975 he returned to Westchester County as the Commissioner of Human Services for the City of New Rochelle, where he served until his retirement in 1989. Two highlights of his many accomplishments in New Rochelle include helping to launch the City-wide fitness program that gained national attention and the transformation of Five Islands Park from a leaf dumping ground to a beautiful, waterfront park. In June, 2010 the City Council of New Rochelle recognized Joe for his many contributions to the City by voting to rename Five Islands Park the “Joe Curtis - Five Islands Park”. Until recently, Joe remained an active member of the New Rochelle Rotary Club.
In retirement, Joe settled back into White Plains were he was active in the Our Lady of Sorrows parish seniors group, the Historical Society, the Beautification Foundation and the Committee on Open Space.
A prolific writer, Joe authored two text books and more than 75 articles and studies about his field earning him recognition as a nationally renowned speaker and recreation leader, as well as a member of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. In a piece written by Joe in 1963 entitled “Close to Nature,” he ends with
“Surely God meant for man to be close to nature. Parks and open spaces are not luxuries. They are breathing spaces for body, and for soul. Protect them.”
God’s speed, Joe.
Joe is predeceased by his beloved wife Ruth (nee Anderson) and his sister Catherine McLaughlin. He is survived by his sister Margaret “Peggy” Marion of East Northport, NY, his 8 daughters Geraldine O’Neil (Jack), Kathleen O’Connor (John), Carolyn Moriarty (Donald), Joanne Lombardi (Peter), Nancy Patota, Marie Curtis (Paul Bint), Amy Curtis-McIntyre (Jim), and Barbara Curtis (Tim Claydon) and 13 grandchildren. The family will receive friends at the Beecher Funeral Home, in Pleasantville, on Tuesday September 7th 2-4 PM, 7-9 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday at 10 AM at Our Lady of Sorrows R. C. Church in White Plains. Burial to follow in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Joe’s honor to “Friends of Westchester County Parks,” or “Rotary Club of New Rochelle, Inc.”
Rotary Club of New Rochelle, Inc.
271 North Ave., Suite 816
New Rochelle, NY 10801
Attention: David Biskup
914 576 0754
Friends of Westchester County Parks
25 Moore Ave.
Mt. Kisco, NY 10549
914 864 7032 |
