Dr. Joseph Anthony Shivers

Dr. Joseph Anthony Shivers of Salem, OH, died on March 10, 2026, after a long battle with cancer. He was at home with his devoted wife, Madeline, and sons, Joseph and Brian. He was 77.

Joe was born on March 22, 1948, to John D. and Margaret Vietmeier Shivers. He was the first of 11 children. From a young age he was called to lead his brothers and sisters by example. His piety and earnestness were evident early to his peers, who in second grade at St. Paul School voted him "Holiest Child."

He graduated from Salem High School in 1966 and from Baldwin-Wallace College in 1970. After college he worked as a night watchman before taking a job, at the suggestion of a friend, as a substitute teacher for the Salem City School District. He learned that he loved to teach. He soon got a full-time job as the eighth-grade teacher at St. Paul School and earned his teaching certificate at Youngstown State University. Then, seeking adventure and wanting to serve, he joined the Peace Corps.

He volunteered in the Peace Corps in South Korea from 1973 to 1976. Though he had no prior knowledge of the language or culture, he learned quickly and acquitted himself well. He taught English at Pusan National University, earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and won the Korea Herald Prime Minister's Award in the Korean Language Speech Contest for Foreigners in 1976. (Decades later, he would return with his wife and children to South Korea. The family had a wonderful vacation, thanks in large part to the hospitality of two former students with whom Joe had kept in touch.)

Back in the States in the late 1970s, he moved to Newark, OH. He taught at Saints Peter and Paul Seminary High School, worked as the government programs coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, and earned a Master's Degree in Education from The Ohio State University.

Joe and Madeline were a great match. They believed in each other and made each other laugh. With the enthusiastic blessings of their families and friends, they married on November 26, 1982, at St. Paul Church in Salem. They honeymooned in New York, London, Paris, Munich, and Rome. On those trips they learned to strike a balance between their respective travel styles: Joe's to walk with long strides and see as much as possible every day, and Madeline's to pause-at least occasionally-to enjoy the local food.

In 1984 Joe and Madeline moved to Boston, MA, for Joe to study at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Joe thrived at Harvard. Among his many lessons there, the one he took most to heart was that for any professional or personal goal, there was some way to accomplish it; usually, there was more than one way. He received a Master's Degree in Education in 1985 and a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) in 1989 from Harvard University.

As a father Joe was attentive, warm, imaginative, playful, and devoted. He did his very best to teach his sons to hustle, to cheer, to reflect, to shoot hoops, to share laughter, to value excellence, to shake hands firmly, and to do right by others.

The family returned to Ohio in 1989. Joe worked as a principal at Kirtland High School in Kirtland, OH (1989-1992); East Palestine Middle School in East Palestine, OH (1992-1997); South Side Middle School in Columbiana, OH (1997-1998); and Columbiana High School in Columbiana, OH (1998-2001). He began work at the Salem City Schools in 2001 as Director of Curriculum and Instruction and Director of Testing and Personnel. He became Salem's Middle School Principal (2005-2006), High School Principal (2006-2014), and Superintendent (2014-2019). In retirement he served on the Salem Board of Education (2019-2023) and co-owned/operated a private tutoring company, Dr. Joe's Learning Center.

At every step of his life, in each new community, Joe would start quietly but soon emerge as a leader. He was chosen by his peers as President of the Salem High School Class of 1966, President of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity at Baldwin-Wallace College, Board Member and then Co-Chair of the Harvard Educational Review, and one of the two class marshals who led his peers into Harvard Yard on graduation day. While serving as principal at East Palestine Middle School, he became involved in the Ohio Middle School Association and was eventually selected by that board as president. He liked to lead, and he did it well, leaving each organization better than it had been before him.

In 2006 he led his high school classmates in creating the Class of 1966 Scholarship through the Salem High School Alumni Association (SHSAA). Eighteen years later he was named SHSAA's 2024 Honored Alumnus. Despite his health problems he stood at the podium in the Salem High School auditorium to deliver a rousing address and received, in turn, a standing ovation. After the speech he remarked to us, wryly and correctly, that this would be the last time so many people said such nice things about him, before his funeral.

Joe was always competitive. He played varsity basketball at Salem High School and at Baldwin-Wallace. He continued to play basketball in various recreational settings, including in intramurals at Harvard. He also ran high school cross country and later ran marathons. His avidity for competition extended beyond his own athletic career into coaching: from basketball at Saints Peter and Paul, to academic challenge at Salem High School. Having been cut from the basketball team his freshman year, he always looked out for late bloomers. Coaching his own sons and others in church league basketball, no one wanted more to win, yet no one was more conscientious in making sure, in every game, that every kid got to play. Throughout his life, he and many of his closest friends would address each other by that favorite honorific, Coach.

Joe loved to read. He read prodigiously and widely. Favorites included Kurt Vonnegut, Carl Hiaasen, Terry Pluto, Mark Twain, John Feinstein, Scott Turow, Raymond Chandler, Arthur Conan Doyle, the Beat Generation, the French Symbolists, George Carlin, Gary Larson, and Bill Watterson, among many others. The Salem Public Library's used-book sale was a hallowed day for him, and he prided himself on arriving before the doors opened.

He also loved music, especially the songs of The Beach Boys, The Grateful Dead, and The Temptations. He owned dozens of vinyl record albums spanning the genres of rock, jazz, classical, country, pop, and soul. In middle age he taught himself to play the guitar, to the delight of his family.

He wrote with skill and spoke with charisma. Friends and relatives treasure his written reminiscences from his youth and early adulthood. One of these, about his and his brothers' time playing basketball ("Memories Strong as A Family Era Ends"), was published by The New York Times in 1980. Teachers and staff from the Salem City Schools recall his annual addresses at the start of each school year. These were often self-deprecating and always inspirational.

Joe was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2011 and with multiple recurrences and complications thereafter. He faced cancer as he did every other challenge in his life-with grit, intensity, and a wellspring of strength that consistently awed even those who knew him best. From 2016 onward, every time he was given a prognosis, he surpassed it.

Joe was blessed to receive excellent care from compassionate healthcare professionals. We would like to thank the extraordinary nurses at the Salem Regional Medical Center (SRMC) Oncology Unit, Ohio Living, and WellBe; personal care aide Betty Hinchliffe; and his physicians Jeffrey Cohen, D.O., of Mercy Health; Ranga Sai Brahmamdam, M.D., of SRMC-University Hospital; Peter L. Apicella, M.D. of SRMC; Alok Khorana, M.D. of Cleveland Clinic; and Jeffrey Janda, M.D., of WellBe Senior Medical.

Joe is survived by his wife of 43 years, Madeline Patton Shivers; son Dr. Joseph P. Shivers and his wife, Sarah Meister of Pittsburgh, PA; son Brian D. Shivers of New York City; grandsons Owen and Henry Shivers of Pittsburgh; siblings Jane Stone, John D. Shivers Jr., Jim Shivers, Marjorie Shivers, Paul K. Shivers and wife Laura, William Shivers and wife Lori, R. Mark Shivers and wife Jeanine, and Mary Beth Shivers, all of Salem; aunt, Lauretta Amos of Salem; in-laws, Patti Cooper and husband Chuck, and M. Joyce Patton, all of Bexley, OH; and M. Denise Patton of Salem; many beloved nieces and nephews, and many other relatives and friends.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, sister Carolyn Shivers, brother Tommy Shivers, nephews Tommy Stone and John D. Shivers III, sister-in-law Paula Shivers, brother-in-law Tom Patton, and parents-in-law Thomas J. and Mary Madeline Patton.

Calling hours at Stark Memorial, 1014 East State St., Salem, are 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 13, 2026. The funeral Mass will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 14, 2026, at St. Paul Catholic Church, with Monsignor Jay Clarke officiating. The Funeral Mass can be viewed at the following link at any time:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3zmhk8vbujhpdu0j3a4zv/Dr-Joseph-Shivers-FUNERAL-MASS.mp4?rlkey=18tj9bf44lnmr6zmqna6dtce5&e=2&dl=0

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Joe's memory to the Salem High School Alumni Association, 330 East State Street, Salem, OH 44460.

Please visit www.starkmemorial.com to send condolences to the family.