By MARY PICKELS
Courtesy of the Connellsville Daily Courier
Joseph Abramowitz, was, according to his youngest daughter, a selfless peacemaker who did everything he could for his wife and family.
“His goal was always to make sure we were happy, even at his own expense,” said Sarah Abramowitz.
In recent weeks, she had shared details of her upcoming wedding plans with her father, from dinner menus to cake flavors.
Joe, 67, of Connellsville, passed away on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in Westmoreland Hospital, Greensburg.
He was born June 12, 1956, a son of the late Margaret Ann and Stanley Donald “Isher” Abramowitz. He married Roxanne (Smith) Abramowitz on Oct. 20, 1990.
Joe was a devoted father and grandfather.
He was employed as a reporter with The Daily Courier in Connellsville, where Roxanne Abramowitz serves as editor.
Joe also had worked as a reporter and copy editor for many years with Trib Total Media, in Greensburg and Monessen.
He was a well-known and well-respected journalist, covering sports, courthouse beats, municipal government and local news.
Joe was a graduate of Mt. Pleasant Area High School and graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in journalism.
Joe was known for his dogged determination to cover news throughout the region, and had earned a reputation as a fair and accurate reporter.
He also was proud to share the area’s success stories, from high school athletes to the accomplishments of city leaders working to better the community.
Joanne Richey, The Daily Courier publisher, called Joe’s loss a “dark day for The Daily Courier and its readers.”
“I had the privilege of working with Joe Abramowitz my entire newspaper career. Joe was a master storyteller. He had the ability to captivate his readers and make them feel a part of whatever story he was writing about,” she said.
“He was an exceptional and unbiased journalist who was passionate about his community and The Daily Courier. Joe was a great guy with unbelievable communication skills. The Connellsville community and The Daily Courier have lost one of the best local journalists of our time,” Richey said.
Vern Ohler, Connellsville city clerk/city manager, recalled many lengthy conversations with Joe that started out as official business and quickly became friendly chats.
“I’m devastated. He called constantly to make sure he had the facts. We grew up in the same area, had a lot of common ground, loved to talk baseball,” Ohler said.
“He was very devoted. He loved his work. I considered him a good friend,” he said.
Ohler said Joe was always careful to tell both sides of a story, to shine the light on issues and hold people accountable, but also to share good news in the community.
He recalled Joe’s mischievous sense of humor as well.
The two had somehow gotten on the subject of drumming, Ohler said, and during one conversation he mentioned his habit of tapping, even on coffee can or peanut butter jar lids.
“I walked into a city council meeting one night and Joe was in the media pit. I sat down at my seat, and there was a set of drumsticks. I looked at him, and he smirked at me,” he said, laughing. “I still have those drumsticks.”
“I can’t thank him enough for everything he has done for me in this position and everything he has done for the community. I lost a guy I consider a good friend,” Ohler said.
Connellsville Mayor Greg Lincoln called Joe “an amazing asset to the city.”
“They (Joe and Roxanne) just did everything they could with that Daily Courier and promoting the city of Connellsville,” Lincoln said. “He was so knowledgeable. He’s been working in media his whole life. It seemed every issue that came up, he had a relatable story from another municipality.”
“I am so sad for Roxanne. They were such a great partnership, so happy; they loved their life. We are taking a huge hit in our community. Joe was an old-school reporter. You can’t replace him. I was just talking to Roxanne recently about how lucky we are to have a local newspaper.”
“Joe was a sincere person. Sometimes we (Connellsville) had something negative. It is what it is. I respected he and Roxanne and what they did for the little part of the world we live in,” he said.
Stacy Wolford, managing editor at the Mon Valley Independent, worked with Joe when both were employed by the former Valley Independent newspaper and again at the MVI.
“Joe was one of my greatest mentors, and he always pushed me to be the best I could. He not only made be a better writer and reporter, but he also helped me become a better storyteller. His heart was always with the little guy — the guy who worked at the mill or the average taxpayer in the Valley. He believed everyone had a story, and I don’t think there is anyone who loved newspapers and telling stories more than Joe,” she said.
“Whether through his beloved weekly ‘Bumawitz’ columns or telling one of his legendary stories in our newsroom, no one could make us laugh like Joe did. Some of my best memories came after the chaos of deadline and getting the paper out when Joe would take a break to share one of his stories. When he threw his hands in the air and let out that giant, hearty laugh of his, you knew a good story was coming,” Wolford said.
“While Joe was dedicated to crafting great newspapers and telling great stories, he was at his finest when he was writing. He was a trusted friend I reached out to over the years for advice, and he was always eager to help. I will miss his stories and wisdom, and I will forever be grateful for his support and friendship. Joe was definitely one of a kind, and he will be missed,” she said.
Eddie Cope, a former photojournalist who’s worked for numerous regional publications, including The Daily Courier, said he will miss calls from Joe as the two discussed different news events happening throughout the region.
“I will miss his humor and the stories he would tell me about growing up in Mt. Pleasant. He was a terrific writer and reporter. We worked together at the Fay-West Tribune-Review office in Connellsville for many years. He was truly one of a kind. He will be missed by many throughout the Connellsville area — a true journalist who loved his job,” Cope said.
Joe was his family’s rock, sharing a love of community journalism with his wife. He adored their two daughters, and took great joy in welcoming his first grandchild.
His youngest daughter said Joe always took his daughters’ calls, even at 3 a.m.
“He could be in the middle of anything — other than a school board meeting — and he would take my call,” Sarah Abramowitz said.
Joe’s ability to talk with anyone and immediately make them feel comfortable was demonstrated by the phone call he had with his future son-in-law, Jordan Lozosky, before they even met.
“They started talking about World War II history and were on the phone for 90 minutes. He could talk to anyone about anything,” his daughter said.
Her father, she said, who was not a cat person, long resisted bringing pets into the family. Then, his daughter said, he brought his wife home a kitten.
“He said, ‘I opened the door to cats being in my life,’” she said.
One cat Sarah adopted for her mother quickly determined Joe was his person, she said.
“I brought him home, and Dad said, ‘Oh, no, I didn’t even want that cat, so if I have to have him, I’ll name him. And I’m calling him Squiggy because you have a Lenny,” she said.
“But he always called that cat ‘Mister.’ That cat loved my dad so much. All he had to do was yell, ‘Mister,’ and that cat would come running,” she said, laughing.
Sarah said she’s taken some comfort from some video she recently found that shows her father at her sister Rebekah’s wedding, walking her down the aisle and making a speech.
“He was so funny. He could make fun of me, and I would laugh hysterically because he was right. He had a story for everything. I would do anything for one more story. … He loved his granddaughter will all of his heart. There is not a bad thing you could say about him. He was the perfect dad,” Sarah Abramowitz said.
Joe enjoyed beach vacations, cooking (his culinary claim to fame was his homemade egg rolls) and had a wonderful sense of humor. He could enthrall listeners with stories that often brought tears of laughter, and he was not above playing the occasional prank on family and friends.
Jill Way, his younger sister, called Joe her family’s “leader.”
“He was just my best friend. I did everything with Joe. We used to have Monopoly games that went on for weeks. He coached my baseball team. We played Life, cards and marbles. We played game after game after game,” she said.
When she and her husband, Ron, were just getting started in married life, she said, Joe would drop off baby clothes and diapers and treat the young couple to dinner.
“We spent holidays, vacations, family parties together. Our extended family did everything together. Our joke was we raised each other’s children. Joe used to say my kids loved going to his house because he had all the junk food. He loved my children dearly. My kids just adored him,” Way said.
Despite being less than half his size and younger, Way said she always felt protective of her big brother.
She recalled one family beach vacation when Joe was hit by a wave and she grabbed his waistband to try to help him up.
“He said, ‘Jill, let go, my pants will fall off,’” she said, laughing.
The two rolled in the waves, and Joe lost his wedding ring.
“Eventually we washed up like a couple of beached whales. … I feel so blessed in this world, and I give it all to my parents and grandparents. Joe and I are an extension of them. Joe was my million dollars. I won the lottery with him,” Way said.
Her husband, Ron Way, said he considered Joe his best friend.
“The thing I remember most about Joe is just constant, constant holidays and get togethers. He and my wife were the life of the party,” he said.
Way said every family has some kind of dysfunction, but Joe would find the humor in all of it.
“A year later, Joe found a way to make it funny,” he said.
Ron also mentioned Joe’s work ethic, helping out in the family wholesale business during his school years and putting his journalism career on hold to continue working with his family.
“I try to pattern my life after him. He was the ultimate family man. Every decision he made, he thought about how it would affect his wife and children,” Way said.
Joe will be sadly missed by his loving family. In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughters, Rebekah West and husband George, and Sarah Abramowitz and fiance Jordan Lozosky; granddaughter, Emma Jean West; brother, Jeff Abramowitz and his wife, Stephanie Vegoda; sisters, Jill Way and her husband, Ron, of Mt. Pleasant and Jaynette Brown and her husband, Randy, of Connellsville; and nieces and nephews, Lindsay Way, Laura Way, Abbey Way and husband Morgan Baughman, Shelby Way and husband Jeff Cancelmi, Boone and Wylie Baughman, Sonny Cancelmi and Quincy Luckey.
There will be no viewing.
Personalized arrangements are under the professional supervision of Vito C. Martucci Funeral Home, 123 S. 1st St., Connellsville.
A celebration of life is being planned.