Obituary of Joseph Bernard Iammatteo

Iammatteo, Joseph 93 Jan. 18, 1921 June 08, 2014 A Funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 14, 2014, at St. Agatha Church, 7983 S.E. 15th Ave., Portland, followed by a graveside service at 1:30 p.m. in River View Cemetery. A viewing will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12, 2014, and Friday, June 13, 2014, at Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral Home. A final viewing before the service is from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, June 14, 2014, at St. Agatha Church. Flowers may be sent to Wilhelm's Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 6705 S.E. 14th Ave., Portland, OR 97202. Please note, flowers must be received by Friday. Or, if you wish to make a charitable donation in Joe's name, it may be made to the FISH Emergency Service, Loaves and Fishes Center or the Sunshine Division. Joseph is survived by his sister, Vera; sons, Bill and John (Miyuki); daughter, Lori Oberman (Steve); and grandson, Leo Oberman. John's Eulogy: “Joe” Joseph Bernard Iammatteo was born to Veronica (Veneranda) and Berardino Iammatteo on January 18th, 1921, in the very small town of Cove Orchard in Yamhill County. Joe’s parents and their extended families immigrated to America in the early 1900’s, some leaving behind close family members whom they’d never see again. Joe’s parents were from the same small village in Italy but had never met. Berardino was working at a gold mine in Alaska setting dynamite when an explosion left him deaf in one ear. He decided it was time to look for other work. Another Italian he worked with told him there was a family from his village living in Yamhill Oregon he would be welcomed and could probably find a little work and sleep in the barn for the night before traveling on. Berardino left Alaska making his way to San Francisco. He found the Paola families from his village, took one look at Veronica and never made it to San Francisco. They settled in the rolling hill farmland of Yamhill County. No electricity, no phone, no indoor plumbing or toilets back in those days; just oil lamps and wood stoves. His grade school had one room and one teacher for all grades. They raised chickens, cows, pigs, and grew fruits and vegetables on their farm. When he was 8 ½ years old, Joe’s family - his parents and sisters Vera, Alice, and Evelyn - moved from their farm to a house on Harney Street in the Sellwood district of Portland. It was the summer of 1929, just before the beginning of the Great Depression - a powerful force in shaping the character of his generation. Joe always felt himself to blessed and very fortunate throughout his life, during the depression years he always managed to find some kind of work. He’d say, “I always had a job, all my life. Never was out of work!” At the age of 12 he began working as a golf caddy at the Waverly Country Club, carrying golf bags for 10 cents a round. This job started his lifelong love of golf. Dad occasionally entered golf tournaments and often won. In later years he looked forward to the annual Old Timer Caddies Tournament at the Waverly Country Club. He went to Benson Polytechnic High School, where he got a foundation in electronics, an emerging professional field at the time that would serve him later on in life. When he was a senior he was on the school’s golf team when they won the Oregon State High School Golf Championship. As a youth Joe found work wherever he could and took on odd jobs when he could find them. “I always had a nickel in my pocket.” He liked to say. Growing up Dad love to go to the movies whenever he could. He loved the serials and westerns; his favorite cowboy was Tom Mix and enjoyed the cowboy songs of the day like those of Gene Autry. He also enjoyed a wide range of the popular music of the times, novelty songs, country, what we consider folk music today, and recordings by the great Caruso, “Now that guy could sing.” he liked to say. And, the memorable sounds of the big bands of the day he enjoyed throughout his life. Joe’s mother and father instilled in him a very strong sense of ethics of what was fair and right, to do the right thing, and to be always be kind and fair to people. Joe aspired to live up to these ideals and to pass them on to us. Once while in high school he and a small group of friends went to the movies. One of his friends was a young black man. (There was segregation in many places in Portland in the 1930’s.) When they went to buy their tickets they were told “If you want to all sit together, you will all have to sit in the balcony.” Dad saw his friend looking down feeling embarrassed or ashamed. That really ticked Dad off! Dad didn’t think anyone should be made to feel ashamed for who they are, or how God had created them. Dad had a few well chosen words for the theater operators and refused to see the movie. They all turned around and left and found something else fun to do that night. Dad never went back to that theater again. In WWII, he served his country proudly as an electrician’s mate in the U.S. Navy Coast Guard. He assigned to the Navy’s communications division. Dad liked to recall his time in the service. “The Coast Guard sent us to Boston to be trained, we had a professor from Harvard to teach us all about electronics, it the same thing he taught at Harvard. “I got an ‘A’, I was pretty lucky, it was exactly the same as what I’d already learned at Benson.” Dad enjoyed his time in Boston, on leave he and his new Navy Coast Guard friends explored Boston and once took a trip to New York City, climbed the Empire State Building and saw the Statue of Liberty. Returning to the west coast he was stationed at Port Angeles Washington and he was assigned to constructing a Pacific Coast communications line for the Navy. He and his crew traveled up and down the pacific coast staying at small motels, logging camps, or anywhere that was close to where they were working. But in the process he lost much of his hearing while operating heavy tractors and machinery in constructing the Pacific Coast communications line. We all know he struggled to hear our spoken words, but really appreciated everyone’s patience in helping his understanding. After the war he worked for AT&T installing home telephone lines. One day he said to himself, “I don’t think I want to spend the rest of my life stringing phone wires while crawling around on my hands and knees.” and decided to go to college. He went to University of Portland on the G.I. bill, getting a degree in Civil Engineering. In the 1950s, he worked for the Oregon Highway Department as a surveyor, helping to build much of the Portland area’s freeway and highway system. After 10 years with the State of Oregon, he took a job with the Bonneville Power Administration as a structural engineer, where he helped design the power lines that carry electricity throughout the Pacific North West. He retired at the age of 64 in 1985. One night in 1948 Joe dropped his little sister Evelyn off at the movies and then went to a dance at the ODD Fellows Dance Hall in downtown Portland. Little did he know his life was about to change. That night he met the love of his life Eva Portwood. “I saw her walking by and I stuck out my foot and tripped her.” Dad used to joke. Joe and Eva talked and danced for a little while that night but he had to leave early. He told Eva he had to go because he had to pick up his “little sister” at the movies and take her home. Eva was impressed and thought what a sweet, kind, caring and selfless man dad was to leave the dance just to take his little sister home from the movies, being under the impression that Evelyn was10 years old at the time. Eva was surprised 6 months later when she met Joe’s “little” sister Evelyn, a grown woman 22 years old – not ten! And perfectly capable of getting home by herself from the neighborhood Sellwood Theater. But by then she was so deeply in love with Joe she had to have a laugh and couldn’t hold it against him. (The song that expressed their feelings that night was “La vie en rose” and became their song.) The very foundation of Joe’s heart was being a devoted family man. You could see this throughout his life in all he did not only for his own family, but for his extended family as well as friends. Joe and Eva married in 1953. They soon started a family and had four children: Bill, then a child who died in a miscarriage, John, and then Lori. (The child lost by miscarriage deeply affected Joe and Eva in a spiritual way and strengthened their desire to have more children) Mom and Dad sought to instill the values in us that they’d received from their parents. Growing-up, they encouraged us to be friends and playmates each other, with our cousins as well as spending precious time with our grandparents. Over the years for Joe and Eva attending the many family events, get-togethers, holidays at grandma and grandpa’s, Paola and Portwood family picnics and the many birthdays throughout the year. They even coordinated vacations so we could share them with our aunts, uncles and cousins. Joe loved the outdoors, fishing the rivers, lakes and ocean, while fondly recalling the salmon runs on the Columbia River before the hydroelectric dams were built in the 1930’s. For years he’d take the annual fall season elk-hunting trip with his friends and our uncles. Later when he was too old to make the trip Dad figured “If that elk has lasted this long he must be pretty old by now and ornerier than me.” After Joe retired, Dad and Mom enjoyed their time by seeing family and friends at numerous occasions, family get-togethers, reunions, and other occasions, often meeting family and friends for breakfast lunch, dinner or coffee. They also began to do some of the traveling they’d always dreamed of; Hawaii, California, Arizona, Chicago, these trip were not only centered around seeing the sights but to visit with friends or family. In 1996 Joe and Eva took a trip to Italy, to Bill’s home in Milan. It was the first big step in Joe’s desire to meet and visit those in his family in Italy who stayed in the “Old Country” -while most of them immigrated to the USA. On the journey from Milan to Rome and eventually to his folks’ town of their birth, he would talk to total strangers about his journey to “meet his roots”, and Bill said he’d never before seen such joy in Dad’s smile - he was so very thrilled to be realizing a lifelong dream of meeting the rest of his family. Bill said he’d never seen Dad so excited and happy as he was about to visit the town of Vinchiaturo, Italy, where his folks were born, and to meet all the cousins and family he had written to and heard of throughout his life, but until then had not yet met. That was the first time Bill says he saw Dad cry tears of joy as he embraced his cousin Donato for the first time ever. They would make the trip again to Europe, this time meet to visit Bill in Paris. BUT… for Joe and Eva the best part of their senior years was their grandson Leo whom he adored and loved so very much. Their faces would light up whenever he talked about him or saw him. Whenever I’d visit Portland every morning at breakfast he’d would point to a picture printed on his coffee mug of Leo as a baby and say, “Do you recognize that little guy? That’s my Leo, you should see him - he’s getting so big!” In 2004, Mom/Eva passed away, and Dad was heartbroken. He struggled to get along without his love. Gradually the days got easier but a day did not go by that he didn’t miss her. When my wife, Miyuki and I evacuated from the devastating March 2011 earthquake in Japan, we stayed with Dad. It was a blessing in disguise for us. We enjoyed Dad’s company everyday for the many weeks we were here. We talked and laughed, and eagerly explored both the familiar and the new local eateries. For me, without the usual holiday distractions, I could easily see the caring and charming man that Mom fell in love with so many years ago. I was reminded of what a truly loving father I had and also what a kind, caring, gentle, selfless, funny and charming man he truly was. I am also so grateful for that time we had with Dad so he and my wife Miyuki could get to know one another better. They talked, shared common interests, joked and bantered with one another enjoying thoroughly each other’s company. They found in each other a kindred spirit and created a special bond with one another. But, when we returned later in October that year for our wedding we could see that something in Dad had changed. He seemed tired and drained. We spent a few days with Dad after our honeymoon and went with him to the doctor where we found out for the first time that he had a life threatening aneurysm. He opted for surgery and after the surgery and recovery, he tried to get back to his old self but we could see he was slowing down. In the last few years of his life he began to slow down, He became frustrated because he knew he could no longer be there to help his sister Vera and sister-in-law Becky in the way he had for many years. I think a part of him felt a little as if he was letting Vera and Becky down. As his pace slowed and his vitality and health continued to diminish and the subsequent recoveries that brought changes to his way of life, Dad fought to keep going. Dad found enjoyment in the simple things of life: like watching “Waznyk”, the squirrel who lives in the tree in the front yard scurry up, down and around, or visiting with friends and family at the many gatherings over the years, exchanging stories and sharing his encouraging insights. Whenever I’d talk to him he’d always recount the latest get together, who was there, what they talked about and report on the tasty delicacies’ that were served. Dad was a man of simple tastes. He’d often enjoy a soda cracker or cup of coffee. But, as you all know Dad was also the original “foodie.” Still adventurous for his age and always eager to try new delights, like dim sum, Middle Eastern sweets or pho at the Vietnamese restaurant near Woodstock, he loved to eat and try new “goodies”. But, what he enjoyed most of all was sharing a simple meal or a cup of coffee with friends or family. To quote from my brother Bill, “Dad was the most selfless man I’ve ever known. We learned so very much from him simply by following his example. ‘If I could even be half the man dad is - I’d feel like a giant among men!” Some of the things Dad would say to us include: · “Be good to your family it’s the only one you’ve got.” · “Take care of yourself.” · “Watch out for each other.” · “Take the bull by the horns and throw it.” · “When are you coming home?” · “When’s Lori going to be back?” · “Take care of my fine boy Leo.” When I asked Aunt Vera her thoughts about Dad she had this to say. “What I remember about Joe is, he was a good big brother. He was a handsome young man. He was the oldest of all of us and would help whenever he could. We were all close in age so if we asked him to do anything for us it was hard for him say “No.” In fact we were sure he would never say “no”, so we didn’t hesitate to ask.” “What else can I say about Joe? He was a very good son, a good brother, a good husband, a good father, a good uncle, a good grandfather, and a good friend. He was a good man. You couldn’t ask for a better one!” And now I’d like to say… Thank you for always being there, not only for myself, but also for anyone. Thank you for your words of encouragement and wisdom. Thank you for your sweet smile and the joy and laughter you bring to our hearts. Thank you for always caring. Thank you for you constant love and kindness Thank you for touching our hearts with in your special way. Thank you for being my Daddy. Words can never express the feelings we have at a time like this. I’d like to conclude by quoting from one of Dad’s favorite songs, a song Dad used to play for us on his harmonica while on the many family camping trips and vacations: “From this valley they say you are going. We will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile, For they say you are taking the sunshine That has brightened our pathway a while.” Our lives are all richer and brighter because of you. Until we meet again in paradise. Good-bye Dad, I love you. We love you. We’ll always miss you so very much. Lori's Eulogy: These are the moments in life that cause me to pause and think about what defines us. What is the imprint we have made in our life? I do not have to think very long or hard about what has defined my father and what the imprint is that he has left on those who knew him. What defined him was simply his profound love and devotion to family, his genuine interest in others; their welfare, their health and safety, their happiness and wellbeing. He was truly a selfless man, always saying "take care of yourself, take care of your family". "I am doing fine and am getting along". "Don't worry about me". He was not a pretentious or a materialistic man. He found great pleasure in the being with family and friends, he loved the outdoors, golfing and fishing. He enjoyed history, and especially enjoyed sharing the personal history of his family and his youth. As well, he shared a living history of Oregon as he experienced it for nearly a century. The imprint he left on me, and I believe all who knew him, lies in his values and in the nuggets of wisdom he would share with us often. These values and qualities are why so many people would very simply, but accurately describe my dad by saying, "Joe was a good man". Whether son, brother, husband, father, friend, neighbor, coworker or casual acquaintance, his interest in others was genuine, his honesty always clear. He had an infinite capacity for compassion and empathy for others. Their successes and their challenges were always of interest and concern to him. He delighted in talking with others and showed a genuine interest in what others had to say. He had a kind heart, a firm handshake and warm smile. He always showed kindness to others and always spoke honestly. There are so many positive qualities that describe my father, so many nuggets of wisdom he shared over the years. I hope he carried with him a satisfaction in knowing he raised children who loved him and respected him for all of these fine qualities. That he knew that he left an incredibly important imprint in all of us. And that this is his legacy that we will carry and share with others throughout our lives as he did with us. All my love to my dad. Leo's Good-Bye: Joyful Outstanding Enthusiastic Incredible Awesome Memorable Magnificent Amazing Terrific Tremendously Endearing Original Service Information