Joseph Baranowski Obituary

Still remember Joe stopping in the Nazareth Library to say hello. Always eager to talk about the college archives, which he helped me establish. Or talk about his brother, who he loved dearly. He is missed

Joe help me be who I am today.
A great teacher , Director and person
He will be missed by so many.
And surely by me.

I posted this on the Anthony Funeral Home site days ago and wondered where everyone was! Finally caught up with THIS site...Anyways ...

Dear Joe. We just weren´t suited to be marriage partners, and my sincerest apologies for however I contributed to the not-so-good times. And yet, lots of gratitude for the good times. Good times that are different from our many worldly achievements. Good times that are of the heart. Thank you for late nights singing at the piano in our pajamas, and for whirling me around the dance floor at St. Stanislaus to "Hoo-pai Shoo-pai", and for trying to do the 2-Step with me in Montana. Thank you for being kind to our pets even though you hadn´t planned on having a dog, two cats, a big full fish tank and a duck. Thank you for getting my grandma into the Spanish class at St. John Fisher when registration was supposedly full. Thank you to you and my second husband for being civil and chatting with each other when we all did the Thomas Merton Society performance together. And thank you for showing up at the cemetery (albeit from afar and behind a tree) when my grandma died, and again when my dad died, and then again when my mom died. Rest in peace, Joey...

Joe, Nazareth's Theatre program under his direction, and the Arts Center that was so near to his heart were instrumental to the liberal arts education I received at Nazareth. His legacy is not only in the arts and in those of us he helped to shape through his work, but also in the generations of our children and (for those of us who teach) in our students who have benefited from the outward pooling of his influence.
On behalf of us all, thanks to Pat and Dan, who met and married under the matchmaking magic of Joe's theatre productions, and who lovingly cared for him over the past few years.

Joe was one of my favorite people. I was his follower since the late 60's -- my interest in live theater is a direct result of having known Joe. He always remembered me whenever i just "appeared" in his doorway, no matter how long it was after graduation. A note to Dan & Pat: so grateful to you for looking after Joe in his declining years. I have dreaded reading this obit. He was a great man and teacher and he touched so many lives...

Joe was a Prince. He was a great help to me in juggling work and study schedules. Never forgot his kindness.
RIP.

I remember you well from my days at Naz! Say hi to Cathy and Marcell. They will welcome you with open arms!

Your Little Mary Sunshine wishes you peace dear Joe. A Prince among men and great Director.

Thank you Joe for years of instruction and inspiration as you developed our Theatre Department at Nazareth College.
"The Many Joans" was a highlight for me with the various playwrites' versions of Joan of Arc's short and glorious life.
My scene, played with Robert Menendes, was from the The Lark (French: L'Alouette) by the French playwright Jean Anouilh.

I graduated from Nazareth in 1980 with a major in theatre. I have many fond memories of Joe. What I appreciated most about him was calming presence; nothing ever seemed to rile him. I feel blessed to have known him.

I remember Joe as a champion for the establishment of the Nazareth College Archives and a dear friend.

I will remember Joe Baranowski in many ways. We served together at Nazareth College for most of my time on the faculty. ( 1971-2003) I will remember Joe for all the enjoyable collaborations between the Theater Department and the Music Department, particularly his generosity with our students in the early years of the Nazareth College Opera Workshop in the mid- 1970's.
I will certainly remember Joe with his morning coffee in the Cabaret -- working at a table and always willing to share a conversation.
But most of all, I will remember Joe as the visionary creator of the Nazareth College Arts Center. Given support by then president, Sister Helen Daniel Malone, he envisioned a state of the art theater with a thrust stage and 1100-seat semi-circular space. Into this exquisite space, he invited world class acts, reaching out to the Rochester area with presentations that few companies were bringing at that time. The subscription series became a window to the world -- as the obituary notes --and enriched not only our students but the whole Rochester area. Joseph Baranowski helped to put Nazareth College on the map! I will always be grateful to have witnessed his work for all those years and to have had his friendship.