Joe Contillo

I am still shocked by Joe's sudden passing. To me, Joe was ageless - an eternal youth at heart and in spirit. I worked at NOAA Fisheries with Joe for 14 years. When I was hired in 1990, he and I shared an office. It was fun getting to know him and having him play the guitar to a good song on the radio every so often. Joe was one of the divers who was always willing to help me collect data for my dissertation project and for our black grouper research. He got involved with the marine mammal group and truly loved his project on photo-identifying individual dolphins. I loved hearing his band play - they were really good! I moved to Oregon in 2007, so in my mind, Joe was still the surfing, diving, fishing, musician, living life to the fullest. I just can't believe he's gone. Joe was an enthusiastic, fun, kind, and generous man who enjoyed sharing his zest for life with others. We can all learn a lesson from him and enjoy each day to the best that we possibly can.

Brother Joe. I enjoyed playing football at Westwood Optimist club, band, and science class. Then we or some of us got smarter of course that was you. It´s to say yes I knew you even if it was for a little
While. The world will definitely miss you.
Dane Snowden