Obituary of Joseph LaPietra

Joseph Richard LaPietra, a resident of the City of Poughkeepsie, died on Wednesday, February 10, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie with his wife, Barbara, at his side. He was 77. Dr. LaPietra was born to Richard and Columbia Sannino LaPietra in New York City and raised in the Bronx on July 20, 1932. He graduated from Mount St. Michael Academy in 1949 and joined the Marist Brothers. In 1954, he became the second summa cum laude graduate of what was then called Marian College, where he received a bachelor's degree in Spanish. He taught for several years at St. Helena High School in The Bronx while he took college-level courses in chemistry at Fordham University before earning a Ph.D. in chemistry, summa cum laude, in 1960 from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation, he taught on The Catholic University faculty for a year, and at the Marist School in Kobe, Japan, for a semester. He returned to Marist College in 1961, where he spent the remainder of his teaching career as professor of chemistry and chair of the Chemistry Department. Dr. LaPietra left the Marist Brothers in 1975 but remained at Marist College. From 1969 through 1975, Dr. LaPietra served as Marist's academic dean, after which he spent a sabbatical year working at IBM to develop his understanding of the impact and value of computing to academics. Dr. LaPietra was a master teacher and received the first Award for Teaching Excellence, presented annually by the Marist Board of Trustees, in 1990. He was instrumental in founding the college's music program and wrote the Marist Song. Although he retired in 2000, Dr. LaPietra continued to teach courses on a limited basis for two additional years. He was named professor emeritus by the Marist Board of Trustees in 2002, and was named a Marist Heritage Professor in 2003 in recognition of his extraordinary leadership as a Marist student, professor, and administrator over a half-century of service to Marist. Dr. LaPietra served on the board of Rehabilitation Programs of Dutchess County, including a term as president. He also served as a board member of New Hope Manor, Inc., including terms as board secretary and vice president. He was a member of the American Chemical Society and the Association of College Science Teachers. He also served as a consultant to the IBM Corporation's technical Institutes. He traveled extensively through Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the Middle East. Through mutual friends, Dr. LaPietra met Barbara Weldele of Great Falls, Montana. They were married at the Marist College Chapel on August 7, 1976. In addition to his wife, Dr. LaPietra, is survived by his sister, Sister Cecilia LaPietra, O.P. of Sparkill, Rockland County; and a brother, Frank LaPietra, his wife, Donna, of Lee's Summit, Missouri, and their children, Richard, Joanne, and Amy, as well as several grandnieces and grandnephews. He will be fondly remembered by his many admirers, including fellow teachers, former students, and acquaintances who were constantly impressed with the humble manner of such an intelligent person and by his extraordinary concern for others. Visitation will be at held on Monday, February 15, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Timothy P. Doyle Funeral Home, 371 Hooker Avenue, Poughkeepsie. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, February 16, at 10 a.m. at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel at Marist College. Burial will follow at the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Marist Brothers, c/o Brother Hugh Turley, FMS, CFRE, 4200 West 115th Street, Chicago, IL 60655-4306, or the Myositis Association, 1737 King Street, Suite 600, Alexandria, VA 22314.