Joseph H. Willard

Joseph H. Willard passed away peacefully on October 5, 2022 at age 84 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.
Joe was born in State College, PA. At age 13 he laid the cornerstone for the Willard Building on the campus of Penn State University. After graduating from high school he attended Penn State University and then transferred to The School for American Craftsman at Rochester Institute of Technology for both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. It was at RIT that Joe studied under famed furniture designer Wendell Castle. After graduation, Joe earned a living by creating custom furniture which he continued to do throughout his life. One of his later pieces was even featured in Fine Woodworking Magazine. Joe passed along his love of woodworking and creating art to his children and grandchildren. He was also known to his family as one of the world's greatest sawdust makers!
In 1965 Joe purchased Pittsford Picture Framing, a business he owned for 41 years located on Main Street in the Village of Pittsford. Known unofficially as the "Mayor of Main Street", he enjoyed connecting with people and discovering as many candy dishes as he could along the way! It was the people Joe enjoyed the most about his business saying "the people make it all worthwhile". In 1971, Joe met the love of his life Peggy when she came into the shop to get something framed. They were engaged after two weeks and married on December 30, 1971. This past December they celebrated 50 years of "marital bliss"!
Joe enjoyed traveling after his retirement, and was able to visit five different continents. By far his favorite place to visit was the family cottage in Georgian Bay, Canada. During the summers from 1984-1990, Joe led the way in building the A frame cottage with his wife, their children and extended family.
Music was a love of Joe's and he was a vocal performer in his youth. He also enjoyed a good novel, NPR, his dogs, morning coffee with friends, and beating his children in ping pong when they could convince him to play. Joe's greatest joy was his family and watching his children and grandchildren grow up and support their passions in the arts, cross country, soccer, windsurfing, sailing and equestrian. Joe was known to be incredibly kind and always there to listen and help. He will always be remembered for his beautiful smile, genuine laugh and fantastic sense of humor that would brighten any day.
His family would like to express a heartfelt thank you to his caregiver, Sharon Jones, for her care, compassion and kindness. Thank you as well to the nurses and doctors at Highland Hospital for the care he received. Joe is survived by his wife Peggy, daughter Suzanne, son Douglas (Lorri Beth) and his two grandchildren Owen and Erica. In lieu of flowers the family would ask that you make a donation in Joe's memory to a charity of your choice, or perform a random act of kindness in his honor. A service will be held on October 28th at St. Paul's Episcopal Church (25 Westminster Rd, Rochester) beginning at 11:00 am.