Joseph R. Duva

Joseph R. "Joey" Duva, age 84, passed away on March 22, 2024, at UPMC Heritage Place in Pittsburgh. A lifelong resident of the Pittsburgh area, including in Penn Hill, Wilkinsburg, and Forest Hills. Duva is survived by his brothers, Vincent Carmen Duva (Louise) and Anthony Joseph Falvo; and his nephews, Vincent Joseph Duva and Mark Edward Duva; and niece, Beverly Jean Duva Scanlon (Kevin). From the 1960's through the 1990's, Joey and his mother, Connie Duva Falvo Walker, worked side-by-side to advocate for people with special needs and intellectual disabilities at a time when those support services were minimal or, at times, nonexistent. His successes in life - the ability to live on his own, to have a full-time job, to engage in social and recreational activities, and for winning awards for his artistic talents - forged the pathways that later led to the development of programs, services and legislation that proved that people with intellectual disabilities could have, as Joey would say, a "can-do attitude." Family and friends are welcome at a special Funeral Liturgy, at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 13 at St. Mary Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 5900 Kennedy Avenue, Export, PA 15632. Interment immediately following at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, 7601 Mt. Carmel Road, Verona, PA 15147.