Obituary of Vincent Joy, Sr.

Vincent Joy, Sr., 93, of 110 Valleyview Ave., passed away Friday, Dec. 27, 2013 in his home. A lifelong area resident, he was born in Jamestown at 215 Winsor St. on Aug. 21, 1920, the son of the late Joshua and Lucy Palermo Joy. It was while attending Washington Jr. High School and playing football when Vince was kicked in the head, wearing the small leather helmet of the day, that gave him the white splotch of hair he would forever be known by. At the age of 13 he also joined the Jamestown Municipal Band, directed by his father, and played trumpet just as his father had. Vince went to Arnold College in Connecticut and upon completion served in the US Navy from 1944 to 1946. He went to Sampson, Bainbridge and Great Lakes Naval Stations and finished his World War II duties in Oakland, CA. A favorite quote of Vince's was, "I did a really good job. No one EVER invaded Oakland". A Master's Degree holder, he also attended St. Bonaventure and Brockport. As a physical education teacher, Vince taught for 37 years in Jamestown schools, retiring in 1984 after teaching many children, their children and even some grandchildren. He was a member of Holy Apostles Parish, St. John Church and active in the Holy Name Society. He was honored in June of 2006 by receiving the 'St. Joseph the Worker Award' from the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo for his volunteer efforts at St. John. He also belonged to the Moose and the Elks. While Vince lived in Jamestown his entire life, his impact in sports was felt near and far, as an athlete, official, coach and volunteer. During his high school years, he lettered in football and basketball, and led the 1938-39 basketball team to the Section 6 championship as its tri-captain. After graduating in 1939, Vince attended Arnold College in New Haven, Conn., where he played halfback on the football team for two seasons (1940-41) before World War II cancelled the program; and was also a three-year participant on both the basketball and baseball teams. It was during his college years that he began to do some football officiating in the New Haven area, a decision that would turn into a passion throughout his adult life. Highlighting his time as a football official, which spanned 1948-1985, Vince was an active member of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference where he worked freshmen and junior varsity games at the University of Buffalo, Buffalo State, Alfred and Syracuse; worked annual scrimmages of the Buffalo Bills in the team's early years; and worked high school games in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Warren (Pa.) counties. On the hardwood, he was a member of the IAABO Board 39 for more than 30 years, which took him all over the Southern Tier and into Pennsylvania. Along the way, he worked many championship games at Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo and also officiated girls high school basketball where he often did intersectional contests (Section 5 vs. Section 6) at Alfred University. For his efforts as an official in both sports, Vince was honored by the Southwestern Chapter of New York State Association of Certified Football Officials (1977), IAABO Board 39 (1980), the Salamanca Gridiron Club (1987) and the Section 6 Football Federation (1994). He was also named a honorary member of the Section 6 Athletic Council in 1985. Vince's love of sport - he played semi-pro baseball and basketball in the late 1940s through the early 1950s after participating in basketball and softball for two seasons while in the Navy - made it possible for him to coach several different sports throughout his life. That first experience on the bench came during the 1946-47 season when he guided the St. Bonaventure University freshman basketball team to a 15-2 record. Later on, he served as an assistant football and baseball coach at Jamestown High School; coached football, basketball, baseball, and track and field at Jefferson Junior High School; and was the head coach of the basketball (1957-62), cross country (1957-67) and track and field (1958) teams at JHS. Once his coaching and officiating careers ended, Vince turned his attention to golf, highlighted by winning the Senior Member-Guest at Moon Brook Country Club in 1991 and shooting his age (90) in 2010. He also was a member of the MBCC board of directors from 1992-94, where he began golfing as a caddy at the age of 10. In a volunteer capacity, Vince officiated many basketball games for charitable organizations in New York and Pennsylvania free of charge, and played many key roles in helping turn the game-day experience at Strider Field the envy of football teams and fans throughout Western New York. He established the Strider Walking Program at Strider Field, which met 3 mornings per week, and ran it for 9 years. Vince also ran the scoreboard for Jamestown high school basketball until the age of 80, as well as the game clock for Jamestown high school football at Strider Field until the age of 90. Vince is survived by his wife, the former Jeanette DeTolla, whom he married July 30, 1955 at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Fredonia; three children, Vincent Joy, Jr. and Kathleen Joy, both of Jamestown, and James (Kim) Joy of Pittsford, NY; a sister, Josie Marino of Jamestown; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant sister, Josephine Joy. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Apostles Parish, St John Church. The Rev. Dennis W. Mende will be celebrant. Burial will be in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 1 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. Monday in the Lind Funeral Home, where a Christian Wake service will be led at 12:45 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Jamestown Municipal Band, 223 Connecticut Ave., Jamestown, NY 14701.