Joseph Salemi

AUBURN - Joseph Salemi, 63, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, July 26, 2021. Born in Auburn on May 22, 1958, he was the son of Matthew and Marian (Slywka) Salemi. He is survived by his beloved wife of 40 years, Sherry (Shaw) Salemi and their three loving children, who were his pride and joy; Joseph Jr. and his wife, Shayla of Panama City Beach, FL; Felicia and her husband, Aaron Kiley of Auburn; Eric and his wife, Jennifer of Kathleen, GA; and two young grandsons, Holden Joseph and Elliot Salemi.

It warmed his heart to see his children find the love and devotion in a mate that he and Sherry shared. He also found great joy in the recent births of his two grandsons, who adored their Pappa. Joe was a graduate of Auburn High School. Anyone who knew Joe, knew that he loved to talk and always had a smile on his face. He was extremely outgoing and was always willing to help anyone in need. Joe was always on the go and loved working on projects around the home that he shared with his wife and raised his three children in, as well as his many rental properties. He worked very hard to provide for his family and instilled that work ethic in each of his children. Joe loved to be outdoors; tinkering with anything mechanical, snowmobiling and enjoying nature. He traveled to many places but always looked forward to his regular trips to Florida and Georgia to spend time with his two sons and their families. He was especially close to his younger sister Diane. Joe was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1989, and remained a cherished member of the Auburn congregation until his death. Each of Joe's children regularly looked to him for advice and guidance and they loved and respected him immensely.

He was also survived by his parents; two sisters, Rosalind Fallat and Diane Buttaro; four brothers, Matthew Jr., Gary, Dan, and John; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and many, many friends; including his closest friends of more than 30 years, Willis and Doris Davis. He was predeceased by his eldest brother, Alfonso in 2016.

The memorial will be held remotely via Zoom on Saturday, August 7 at 2:00 PM. A slideshow presentation will precede the memorial at 1:30 PM. To obtain the login information, contact Aaron Kiley at (315)-237-2736. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Finger Lakes SPCA of CNY, 41 York Street, Auburn, NY or to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org). To leave condolences for the family, please visit www.whitechapelfh.com

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