Joseph Frederick Porinchak, 85, husband, father, grandfather, and “one of nature’s good men,” died peacefully at his home in Silver Spring, Maryland on Wednesday, July 18, 2018. He took his final rest with his family by his side and in the embrace of his beloved wife of 56 years, Agnes Marie (Fioritto) Porinchak.
Born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania on January 4, 1933, the son of Mary Barron and Joseph Porinchak (both deceased), Joe served two years in the United States Army and graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pittsburgh before embarking on a long and successful career as a chemical engineer. His work took him to Cleveland – where he met and married Agnes – and later to South Carolina and Maryland, where they raised their three daughters, Laura, Lisa, and Maria.
An avid reader, summer gardener, and staunch Steelers fan, Joe was happiest on occasions that were celebrated at home surrounded by family. He loved spending time with his grandsons, Calvin and Riley, and never missed a chance to attend their music concerts and stage performances, his favorite form of live entertainment. But Jersey Boys was a close second! He saw it three times and loved singing along to the soundtrack. He also loved watching westerns, detective shows, Indiana Jones, and classic Hollywood movies, and he was known to break out his Humphrey Bogart and Clint Eastwood impressions from time to time.
Some of Joe’s simple pleasures in life included home movies, backyard barbecues, beach reading, Dad jokes, duct tape (it fixes everything), Frank Sinatra (who always got him to croon along), a glass of Jack Daniels, dog-kisses from Delilah, and Agnes’s hand-made spaghetti.
As much as he loved his home sweet home, Joe also enjoyed traveling to tropical islands and to international destinations, including his two most memorable experiences – a favorite trip to Italy with Agnes and a months-long work assignment in Argentina.
Joe had only one sibling, Joanne Perry (deceased) but he always counted himself lucky to be part of Agnes’s warm and welcoming Italian family. He forever held a special place in his heart for her parents, Emilio Fioritto and Elisa Bruno (both deceased). He enjoyed summer vacations at Virginia Beach with the family of Agnes’s sister, Marian (Fioritto) Martin. And he had a special bond with Agnes's brother (whom he considered his own “little brother”) Ralph Fioritto. Joe remained close with Ralph and his family until his very last days.
Joe’s memory lives on in the hearts of all who knew him. He will forever be remembered as a devoted father and grandfather to Laura Porinchak, Lisa Bruna, Maria Porinchak, Calvin Bankert, and Riley Anthony. Joe’s devotion to family is reflected most profoundly in the deep and abiding love he shared with Agnes, his “brown-eyed girl” and the “love of his life.”
In Joseph F. Porinchak’s memory, donations may be made to:
The ALS Association
1275 K Street NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20005
www.alsa.org
Robert Packard Center for ALS Research
c/c Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine
550 N. Broadway, Suite 722
Baltimore, MD 21205
www.alscenter.org
