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As mentioned many times, the VFTB has spoken about the second family he had as a St. James School student from kindergarten through ninth grade. Our St. James family didn't just include our classmates, our St. James Family encompassed all school students, faculty, staff, and clergy as well. We have recently lost another member of that family, in the passing of Father Joseph Gullo, who had quite an amazing life, and had a huge impact on Sally's and my life, not just being wonderful, but just being who he was.
Father Joe was a year behind me at St. James, so we knew each other a little more closely as how we may have known someone in a grade five years ahead or behind our grade. Fr. Joe was about my age, we were altar boys together, were in the Passion Play together, were on the sports teams together. Little did I know back then Fr. Joe would literally have a wing and a prayer, to the most important, memorable decision I'd make in my life.
After graduating from high school, I attended college at JCC. Before earning the title of Father, Joe Gullo was a senior in high school and was classmates with my best friend, Mike. After they graduated high school, both of them headed to St. Bonaventure University to start their college years. I always kept in touch with Mike, and he was very close to Joe at St. Bona. I had one more year at JCC before heading to SUNY Fredonia, Mike and Joe continued their course on the Olean Campus, where Joe was elected by the student body to be the school mascot, and since St. Bonaventure is classified as a Division I sports institution, Joe was in the spotlight whenever Bonaventure was televised. He had the personality to wow a crowd, for sure. That was Joe Gullo.
There were times when I'd drive to Olean on weekends to spend them with Mike and Joe, and they came up to Fredonia on weekends to visit me too. (Fredonia's claim to fame in those years was as the site of the NFL's Buffalo Bills training camp, and the training home of the NBA's Buffalo Braves.) I recall one Friday night when I was showing the boys some of Fredonia's local libation locations, at the end of the night, we went to the Italian Village to have some of the village's highly acclaimed pizza, when a number of the Braves came in to do the same. After trying to convince Joe that one of the players was the former Providence basketball star Ernie DiGregorio, Joe just went up to the player and just plain asked him. Joe's personality was one of not being afraid to go up to anyone, offer them his hand, and just strike up a conversation. That was Joe Gullo. (I'm getting closer to Joe's impact on Sally's and my life, so stay tuned.)
Another weekend visit I recall was the time I visited Joe and Mike at the Cattaraugus County campus. Mike had a two-bunk bedroom, while Joe had a three-bunk bed in his room. Since they both had one roommate, Joe offered me the third bunk in his room. Joe was so worried that I might fall off the top bunk, he went to great lengths to tuck me in so tightly that my arms were both secured to my side, and I literally wasn't able to move at all that night. He didn't want me to fall out of bed. He did a great job in achieving that goal. That was Joe Gullo.
I have great memories of Mike, Joe and I driving to New York City to visit Mike's cousin, Donnie, and staying at Donnie's home in New Jersey. One of our stops in the Big Apple was Mama Leone's Restaurant. When looking at the menu, we noticed one of the selections combined 13 different entrée samples on a plate for a reasonable cost. Joe wasn't sure we'd all like all the items on that plate, so Joe went up to the waiter serving our table and negotiated with him to give us a small sample of each food on the platter, before we decided if we wanted to order it or not. That was Joe Gullo. (After dinner, Joe tried negotiating with a Handsome Cab driver to give the three of us a ride and we'd give him five bucks each. That one didn't fly, but that was Joe Gullo.)
After college, Joe was unsure what his path would be and as he thought, he wanted to stay active in something meaningful, so he joined the military and served his country. After completing his hitch, Joe found what he felt the deepest about, more than we had ever seen from this most dedicated to people, friendliest, caring, warm, personable, jovial, greatest definition of the word friend we had ever met. Joe answered the call from God and entered the seminary to become a priest.
We kept in touch with Joe during his studies and preparation for the cloth and still met up with him on some Friday nights when he came home to visit his family at their home on Barrett Ave. in Jamestown. On one of those Friday nights, a bunch of us headed to 2001, a local discoteque, to celebrate our late friend John's birthday. Joe was with us, in fact he drove that night serving as our DD (that, too, was Joe Gullo).
Joe loved talking to people. He loved to smile, he loved to laugh, and he definitely loved people. During the evening at 2001, Joe invited a couple of standing ladies to sit with us at our table as we had a couple of empty seats on a hugely crowded night. They joined us. Joe introduced himself, because that was Joe Gullo, and we did what we usually did, sat there watching the crowd, when one of them asked if one of us would like to dance. No one jumped, so I, not wanting to waste the eight disco dance lessons I had taken, said, "sure." We properly introduced ourselves, I said, "I'm Paul Lombardo," and she responded with 'I'm Sally Hamilton." The rest, they say, is history. If not for Joe being Joe, I may never have met my bride.
The day before we got married, there was a huge late afternoon snowstorm, and by morning there was nearly (more?) a foot of snow on the ground. Joe headed to Jamestown from Buffalo and just past Cassadaga, his car spun off the road into a field. Joe, not wanting to miss the wedding, got out of his car and knocked on a door asking for help. The man living there pulled out his tractor, hooked a chain to it and Joe's car, and got him back on the road. Joe wasn't going to miss the wedding. That was Joe Gullo.
Through the years after Joe was ordained, we were lucky that, after a few years, he was assigned locally (Dunkirk, Jamestown, Falconer, Frewsburg, Randolph) to serve much of his ministry. For many years, Sally and I hosted a family and friends Christmas dinner at our home, and for many years Joe was able to attend. He loved telling the story of how he brought us together, and though many had heard it before, there was always something special about how Joe told it every time.
When Sally and I renewed our vows on our silver anniversary, our Pastor, Father Dennis Mende, generously, and graciously, traded masses and churches with Father Joe, so he could renew those vows for, and with, us.
The last time I saw Fr. Joe was at the 50th class reunion of JHS's Classes 1971 and 1972 [We ('71) waited the extra year because of COVID]. He had some difficulty mobility-wise, but if you closed your eyes, you knew his heart, mind, spirit and joy for life was still with him. I'm sure he was that way all the way up to his last breath, because that was Joe Gullo!
Rest in Peace, Father Joe, my St. James brother, my friend, Sally's and my Matrimonial Angel, and Wonderful Representative of God on this Earth. It's time now for you to soar high with your fellow angels.