Joseph Milton Flatico

Joseph M. Flatico, 62, passed away at home in North Royalton, OH on Friday, January 30, 2026. Beloved husband of Lisa Ochenduski; Caring brother of Ethel Thomas (Buzzy); Cherished uncle of Julia Ochenduski, Daniel Ochenduski, Zachary Johnson, Nathaniel Johnson, Bethany Makris (Stratos), Loren Jr. "Keith" Thomas; Brian Thomas, Matthew Thomas and the late Blane "Willie" Thomas and many great-nieces and great-nephews; Cousin to Kathy Clossin; Cat-Dad to Buddy the Elf as Played by Will Feral and friend to many.

Joe was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Though he spent some time as a child in Puerto Rico and some time in Springfield, Oh the Cleveland Vortex always brought him back. From an early age, Joe knew the only way out of the poverty and deprivation of his childhood was through the power of his mind, a library card, and determination. His drive and extraordinary intelligence lead this high school dropout to earn a master's degree in physics from John Carroll University . Most of his career was spent at NASA Glenn Research Center where, as a contractor, he contributed to many important projects. Most notably Pathfinder on Mars and The Materials on the International Space Station Experiments (MISSE). In recognition for his contributions to MISSE, he received a VIP invitation to a Space Shuttle Launch. While at NASA, Joe's greatest personal reward was mentoring younger scientists.

He is a patent holder for Two and three dimensional near infrared subcutaneous structure imager using real time nonlinear video processing, Patent number: 10062356. Joe is also a coauthor of over 20 published research works with 98 citations.

In his personal life Joe was always expanding his knowledge in music, poetry, religions, philosophy, languages, baking, perfecting his red sauce, and most passionately, politics. A long time socialist he still believed in workers seizing the means of production. A misanthrope by nature, once you were in his circle of trust, you were protected, supported, and uplifted by his friendship and love. Most importantly he was funny, witty, had a great laugh and could keep a gag going for years. His recent goal was perfecting his grumpy old man yelling at clouds personality. He was a natural.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly suggests a memorial contribution be made to the Brother Hubbard Cupboard Food Bank, 6001 Woodland Ave Ste 1527, Cleveland, OH 44104 or to the Cleveland APL, https://clevelandapl.org/donate/. A Celebration of Joe's life will take place at a later date. Please check back for updated details. Cremation Services provided by Busch Funeral Home. 440.842.7800. www.buschcares.com.