Joseph Maino

1950 - 2025

Dr. Joseph Maino, former Chief of Optometry at the Kansas City VA Medical Center, passed away on the evening of August 26, 2025 in Walnut Creek, CA. He leaves behind his brother, Dominick, his children Christina (with husband Alex) and David (with wife Amanda), his "grand-littles" (Olivia and Zoe), his love of photography (left to his brother), his immense enthusiasm and upbeat attitude (left to his daughter), and his sense of humor (left to his son).

Always a believer in hard work ("If you start work at 8, you start work at 8!"), Joe spent his entire career helping veterans to see and have a better quality of life. His work with the Visual Impairment Centers to Optimize Remaining Sight (VICTORS) earned him the Olin E. Teague award and a place in the congressional record on May 9, 1996. He was also recognized for his work by the Blinded Veterans Association and numerous professional organizations. Joseph was the author/editor of several books, book chapters and scientific articles in professional journals. Bridging his love of Sci-Fi and his love of helping people to see, he also helped pioneer research into the Low Vision Enhancement System (LVES) and the development of some stylish Geordi LaForge-esque headgear.

Joe's interests outside of work were varied and he could be found any number of places, from photographing the KC Fringe Festival, cooking "Christmas Calamari" (available any time of year), attending sci-fi conventions (he loved the Stars, whether it be Trek or Wars), or sitting reading a book (Asimov, Heinlein, McCaffrey, and Bradbury were his jam).

We will miss his raucous, staccato laugh ("Huh. Huh. Huh."), his insistence on calling any relative "Maino" (presumably because he couldn't remember any of our names), his love of chocolate chip cookies (and the way he would meticulously inspect them to make sure they weren't raisin cookies), the way he never took anything too seriously, the joy and beauty he found in the mundane, the way he would slip in some extra seasoning to his son's pasta sauce when he thought Dave wasn't looking (it tasted fine before, Dad, I swear), and, more than anything, the love and energy he put out into the world.

In lieu of flowers, Joe would have loved if you'd help support a charity like Chicago Lighthouse (https://chicagolighthouse.org), The Illinois Eye Institute Center on Vision and Aging (https://www.ico.edu/giving), or other charities that serve the low vision and blind community.