Remembering Joey D.
Remembering Joey D.
Ellicottville Says Goodbye to its Most Fun, Fashionable and Colorful Icon
“There are many people that we meet in our lives. But only a very few will make a lasting impression on our minds and hearts.” - Susan Polis Schutz
The close-knit community of Ellicottville is mourning the death of beloved, fun-loving, eccentric Joey D, who left us, at age 87, on March 14 to take his brand of zany joyfulness to that mysterious world behind the veil. As his friend, Brooks LeFeber laughingly said, “It took more than one person to wrangle Joey. He’s probably up there making himself known in typical Joey style.”
Although he had not served recently, Joey had been the Mayor’s Deputy for many years and until two years ago, he served on the Village Board. Consequently, Mayor John Burrell asked that everyone in the village fly their flag at half-staff in honor of Joey. Mary Klahn, village secretary reminds us of how involved he was in the village beautification program. He loved to see things in order and lovely, which is why in his official obituary people are reminded to donate to the Alley Katz in his honor, if they are so inclined.
There are those who knew Joey well and loved him deeply, and then there are those of us who knew him on the margins and watched his “antics” from afar. The beautiful thing about Joey is that he was so much more than his public, fun-loving persona. Mary Klahn went on to say how she knew (as did Brooks LeFeber) that Joey quietly helped many others in the community. If he knew of a need, a house needing paint, a person needing food for their family, a kid needing something, Joey would inconspicuously hand them what they needed without any fanfare or ado. Surely, every community has these silent heroes. It is a privilege to be able to unveil Joey and honor him for the good he has done.
We know the colorful Ellicottville guy, but prior to his finding our sweet little town with the help of his long-time ski club buddy, Corky Kantowski, he did some serious work in the world. He was a proud veteran, having served in the Army 10th Mountain Division, in Germany, as a tank driver in the Cold War. In his telling, “there we were, sitting opposite the Russians, both pointing our machine guns at each other.” A UB graduate, he retired from successfully owning Fargo Air in Buffalo to come to Ellicottville and, as John Burrell says, “let his hair down.” He sold real estate in Ellicottville for over 25 years for Hunt Realty and later Holiday Valley Realty. Imagine buying a house from Joey. You’d want to do it just to be in the same town with him!
One cannot tell a Joey D story without talking about the fashion-conscious man who allegedly would go home as many as five times a day to change his clothes for the hourly occasion. His ubiquitous straw hat topped many a colorful ensemble, not to mention the ones designed for specific holidays.
A few stories worth telling (these all from LeFeber) include the LaundroNut story - a title Joey wore after attempting to ride in the dryer in the local laundromat. You may remember him getting into a bit of mischief rollerblading on the village sidewalks on his 75th birthday. “Arrested” for parking by a hydrant, he was given public service. He chose to walk in the Christmas Stroll as a fully outfitted Arab with a camel, which was good. But, trying to take the camel into Madigan’s, getting it halfway in and leaving it with Tommy O’Connor holding the lead was not so good - but it was Joey.
No one who has been in the local establishments can say they have not heard Joey and his musical ‘Spoons.’ As LeFeber would say, “What he lacked in rhythm, he made up with lack of rhythm.” If there was a band in town over these many years, Joey had likely “spooned” with them.
The stories are endless. Please share them with one another as we try to spread the smiles the way Joey did.
Our sincerest condolences go out to Joey’s many friends and family, especially his daughters Dina and Jennifer and his grandchildren, Cecelia, Emmylu, Coleman, and Gianna whom he absolutely adored and doted upon. Meanwhile, I invite you to watch this YouTube video. https://youtu.be/VqhCQZaH4Vs. Surely, Joey helped to do his share to make this a wonderful world. Cheers, old friend. We can’t wait to see you on the other side.