Michael Alleyne Joseph

Michael passed peacefully from this life in the early morning of January 3rd after a slow decline following a stroke in 2011. In the last years of his life, he was supported and surrounded by his loving wife Helen and by the caregivers at Terra Vista Rehabilitation Center in Orlando, Florida. His children, Valerie, Michael, Martin and Marc were in close touch via phone and paid visits as often as possible.

Michael was born in Dudmar, Grenada, where he schooled until he received a prestigious scholarship to attend GBSS, Grenada Boys Secondary School, a school he cherished not only for the education he received but for the lifelong friendships he made. From there, he worked in various places in the Caribbean, most notably Curacao as a refinery operator for Shell Oil. He traveled to Canada where he studied at the University of Toronto and immigrated to the United States in the late 1950s. He worked in the United Nations mailroom while he studied at Brooklyn College where he received his BA in 1968. He went on to Columbia University and earned his MBA in 1970.

Michael shared his love of African history with his friends and family. He studied the history of Africans in the Americas,, spending many civil-rights-era evenings in Harlem in conversation with famous intellectuals such as Langston Hughes and J.A. Rogers, whose autographed first editions he cherished For more than five decades, the Joseph living room was dominated by paintings of his heroes, a champion against slavery in Haiti, General Toussaint L’Overture, and a peaceful warrior against imperialism in India, Mahatma Gandhi . As a professor and administrator for Hunter College, Michael worked within Hunter’s SEEK Program (Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge). He created a positive thinking course designed to elevate the minds of Black students toward a pursuit of excellence. He was honored by SEEK in 1975 for his “outstanding educational leadership.”

Michael’s passion for entrepreneurship led him to earn a broker’s license and establish Action Real Estate, one of the larger black-owned real estate offices in Brooklyn. In 1980, lured by the warmth and sunshine of Florida, Michael moved with Helen and Marc to Orlando. He continued to work in real estate and ran numerous small businesses, including a transport company. He also taught inmates at the Orange County Jail.

Michael continued to broaden the scope of his interest in education and personal development by becoming passionately involved in Toastmasters, a public speaking and leadership organization. He, along with Helen, established the Let’s Talk Toastmaster’s Club (#4413) in Orlando and he achieved the level of Distinguished Toast Master (DTM), the highest level.Michael joined the United Church of Religious Science where he embraced the notion of metaphysical spirituality. It is his deep and indomitable faith in the power of the human spirit to overcome all obstacles that gave him enormous strength during the last years of his life.At Terra Vista, Michael continued on his path of lifelong learning and personal growth. He wrote many poems and organized several poetry readings. With the use of DVDs, he studied French, German, Portuguese and Swahili. He wrote Maya Angelou and President Obama, receiving replies from both.Michael is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Helen. He is also survived by four children (and spouses): Valerie Joseph (Jim Carroll), Michael (Deborah), Martin (Natasha) and Marc (Denicia); 10 grandchildren: Michael III, Rosemary, Benjamin, Martin and Blair – children of Michael and Deborah; Matthew and Marcus – children of Martin and Natasha; Phoenix and Trinity – children of Marc and Denicia; Zanaya – child of Valerie and Jim; and one great grandchild, Logan, child of Rosemary and Albert Roy. Michael is also survived by his brother Milton Sharpe, his sister, Cossell, his cousins, Daphne Antoine, Andrew Hazzard and Joyce Andrews and many other family members and friends.