Page created by: The Vitelli Family

Poughkeepsie, NY - Joseph T. Vitelli, 82, died peacefully at home in the comfort and care of his family on Monday, July 13, 2015, from complications of Parkinson's Disease.

While in high school Joe participated in a Naval reserve training program and in 1952 entered active service for a total of four years and five months. After attending the University of Vermont, he worked as a civil engineer for the NYS Department of Transportation for 30 years. He held many different posts during that time. An active participant in the Region Eight chapter of the NYS Association of Highway Engineers, he served as president in 1965. Joe's great passion was the credit union movement. He had served in many capacities as a volunteer in the Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Credit Union (now Bridgeway FCU) starting at age 24. Upon his retirement from engineering at the DOT in 1987, he became president and CEO of the DOT FCU. In his decade as CEO, Joe oversaw several mergers, instituted newer information systems, and moved the credit union's headquarters twice. He and the board of directors helped the credit union grow significantly in terms of its membership, services offered, and assets. A Certified Credit Union Executive, for many years he was one of only two CCUEs in New York state. In 1983 he was invited to Tennessee to become one of the founding members of a new national organization, the Institute of Certified Credit Union Executives, helping to craft its constitution and bylaws.

Joe was a superb strategist and a paragon of professionalism; he was eminently reasonable, practical, and evidence-based in his approach to situations. He was always calm and thoughtful, while at the same time decisive and able to handle any crisis and address any problem. He was a great believer in the classic ideal of a healthy mind in a healthy body, and he was active and robust both physically and mentally. He loved working outdoors, building things, and exploring and learning. He and his wife Pat traveled all over the world. His strength of character never waned even as his devastating disease progressed. He endured his disease with strength, serenity, and grace. Joe sought help through participation in the Parkinson's Disease Support Group of the Mid-Hudson Valley. The group was a valuable source not only of information but also of emotional support for both Joe and Pat.

The family is deeply appreciative of the many caregivers and neighbors who aided Joe these past few years. The Arlington Fire Department paramedics would often come to the house and treated Joe with great respect and compassion. Joe was so fortunate to have formed deep ties to his dedicated personal nursing assistants, outstanding therapists, and aide through the MidHudson Regional Hospital of Westchester Medical Center Home Health Unit, as well as his companion and massage therapist. Hospice is commended for its offering of instructions, medicines, and emotional support during his final days.

Joe was a force for good: a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "Here was a man! When comes such another?"

Joe was interred in Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery following a private ceremony. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joseph T. Vitelli may be sent to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research , P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD, 21741-5014