Joseph Sedore

Joseph Francis Sedore died on August 5, 2026 at the age of 56 . His siblings James and Janine, sister in law Elise, along with staff from Maryhaven were with him as he went to join his mother, Maria Conza Sedore in heaven. He is survived by his siblings James (Elise), John and Janine as well as nieces and nephews. Joey was born on Dec 18 1969 and was diagnosed with Down Syndrome at the time of his birth.. Doctors suggested that his mother should leave him in the hospital and allow him to simply pass away because he would be a major burden on his family. They warned that Joey would never walk, talk or lead a productive life.

Joey’s mom ignored the doctors and on Christmas Eve 1969 the beautiful blue eyed 4 lb baby boy with the strawberry blonde hair joined his family to celebrate their first Christmas together. Joe’s siblings instantly fell in love with their new brother as their mom explained that the Lord had chosen their family for Joey because He knew that they would show Joey all of the love he needed to thrive while teaching him the life skills needed. There was no early intervention in 1969 so Joey’s family got to work teaching him as they showered him with love.

With the help of his siblings Joey learned to do all of the things that the doctors said would never happen – he learned to walk and talk. He rode his big wheel all over town and was loved by all of the neighbors. Joey brought joy to everyone he met. He could also be quite the little trickster. He had a wonderful sense of humor and often brought people to their knees laughing at his comments . He saw the humor in everyday life and often made comments that got you laughing so hard that you couldn’t stop.

Joey’s family was deeply Catholic so it was very important for Joey to receive the sacraments however there were no special ed faith formation classes so his sister Janine took on the task of preparing Joey for the sacraments of Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and eventually Confirmation. Joey even learned to be an altar server.

Joeys’ mom wanted him to meet his full potential so she relocated the family back to New York where there were the most opportunities for Joey and at the age of 13 he began to attended school at Maryhaven Center of Hope in Pt Jefferson, NY. He lived there during the week and came home on weekends. At the age of 21 he met his second family when he went to live in one of Maryhaven’s group homes. Joey thrived in the group home thanks to the loving staff members, they became Joey’s second family. Words are insufficient to thank the staff at Maryhaven for all that they have done for Joey.

While living at Maryhaven’s group home Joey’s family remained an active part of his life – flying him home for holidays and beach vacations. He loved spending summer days being the captain on his brother James’ boat when James took him camping with his nephews Matthew and Andrew.

His sister Janine took him on adventures to Jones Beach where he would spend the day with Janine and her friends playing on the shoreline as they pulled him along on a boogie board.

When Joey’s mom passed away in 2018 his sister Janine stepped up to fill the void and Joey came up with a new title for Janine, He called her his “sistermom” – a very appropriate title because she always mothered Joey.

As his health declined Joey could no longer make the trips home but his siblings always remained in close contact with Joey and made trips to visit him. The Sedore family will be eternally grateful to Maryhaven Center of Hope for the wonderful care Joey received once his health began to decline. There are so many people who loved Joey dearly that we cannot mention individual names but we will never forget the love that Joey received from all of the Maryhaven staff.

Joey’s funeral arrangements are still pending. The funeral will be at Our Lady of Lourdes Church – 2718 O7608verbrok Rd Raleigh, NC 27608. The funeral will most likely be Held on Thursday August 27 – this will be confirmed in coming days.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Maryhaven Center of Hope Sills Rd Group Home

Donate by clicking on link below or send checks to 51 Terryville Rd., Port Jefferson Station, NY 11773 Earmark donations made by check for “Sills Rd IRA “ in honor of Joseph Sedore

https://gofund.me/913de70a5

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