Joseph Patrick Molino

Ontario - Joe Molino passed peacefully on Wednesday, February 10th, 2021 surrounded by family members. Joe was a lifelong resident of Ontario, NY, having been born in the town, growing up in the community and graduating from Wayne Central in 1956. Joe earned his Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and did his post-graduate work at Cornell and the University of Rochester.

Active in sports as a child, Joe became one of the town’s most ardent boosters, officiating soccer and wrestling matches, and actively promoting Wayne Central sports. Joe was a founding member of the Citizen’s Committee on Outdoor lighting, a group along with Bernie Porray, Ron Louckes, Dick Ameele, Tom Johnson and Al Brasser, who together made Wayne Central among the first Rochester area high schools to feature permanent outdoor lighting for sports events.

Among Joe’s many accolades for area sports include induction into the Wayne Wrestling Hall of Fame (2007) and the Wayne Soccer Hall of Fame (2014).

Joe served as the town and county supervisor for four years from 2004-2008. During his term in office, Joe oversaw completion of the Community Center, helped develop plans for the Ontario landfill closure, contributed to the Vision Plan for Main Street, assisted in forming the BID, and advocated for the completion of the library addition to the town hall. At the county level, he served on several committees: Ag and Rec (chaired), Public Safety, Public Health, Highway, and the Rural Health Network.  He also attended meetings of the Soil and Water Conservation District.

Prior to winning the town supervisor role, Joe enjoyed a long and rewarding career in the local region. After graduating from Cornell, he worked at General Dynamics in Rochester before switching careers to teaching. Joe taught driver education at Genesee County BOCES from 1962-1966 before teaching driver education at Wayne Central the following year. Upon leaving teaching, he went to work at B & L Slocum on a temporary basis that ended up lasting twenty-five years. When Bill Slocum became Highway Superintendent, Joe started Ontario Excavating and Landscaping, serving the community on a daily basis and forming close relationships with residents. Joe was valued for his honesty, strong work ethic, problem solving, ability to listen and an even better ability to brighten the days of everyone with whom he came in contact. Joe was a fixture at Konstantinous as part of his routine in Ontario, and patrons would always know when Joe was in the house.

When he was elected supervisor, he closed his business to serve full time in that capacity. As supervisor, Joe was an advocate of a bipartisan board.  He was a fiscal conservative who believed in open and transparent government, promoted values in government including treating employees fairly and equitably, and stressed that communication was essential to a successful town government.

After his supervisor term, Joe’s experience in planning, construction and landscaping made him highly sought after for contract work, spanning from the northern tier of Pennsylvania to north of the NY Tug Hill Plateau.Joe was elected for a second term of office in November 2018, resigning just days after taking office due to personal and extenuating circumstances. A devoted brother, uncle and great-uncle to the extended Molino family, Joe was deeply affected by the sudden loss of his treasured sister Carmella. Joe’s responsibility to his family took precedence over everything else in his life.

He is remembered as a wonderful brother, uncle and great uncle by his family, developing close relationships with a large extended family in Ontario and neighboring towns, and was known for frequently making trips to visit his brother Carmen Molino’s family in Groton, NY, and in later years often traveling to Boston, MA or Washington, DC to accompany his sister Lucy on visits to see her grandchildren. He had a special bond with his younger sister Virginia, sharing many adventures together over the course of their lives.

Joe’s many friends valued his sense of humor, his generosity, his selflessness and compassion for those less fortunate than he. Joe cherished his friendships, and knew that his friends were always there to support each other. When in need, Joe was always just a phone call away. In recent years, Joe appreciated the unwavering support of his friends as he dealt with health issues.

Joe was a member of St.  Maximillian Kolbe Parish and was a lifetime member of the Knights of

Columbus.

Family and friends may gather for visitation from 4-8 PM on Tuesday (February 16) at Murphy Funeral & Cremation Chapels, 1961 Ridge Rd., Ontario, NY. To best accommodate those who wish to attend with Covid protocol, please register a time by clicking on the Tab below.

Joe will be laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery.  To leave an online condolence, please visit Joe’s tribute wall on www.murphyfuneralservices.com.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joseph Patrick Molino, please visit our floral store.