A MAN OF CHARACTER: REMEMBERING JOE MARCINIAK

Nothing makes you question your mortality more than seeing someone you’ve known for most of your life pass on and join the ancestors. When the one who passed away was still so full of life and still had much to offer this world, it makes you question the fairness of it all. On Saturday, Feb. 17th, a service was held for one of our own, Joseph Marciniak, who passed away on Super Bowl Sun., Feb. 11th, at the age of 52. Knowing Joe and the type of reach he had with people in Buffalo and beyond, I wasn’t surprised by the amount of people who showed up to send him off. It  was quite impressive. Joe Marciniak was a man whose impact on those around him was immeasurable. His legacy is one of character, a quality often overlooked in today’s society. Though many in Buffalo, particularly on the West Side may have known Joe and his brother Brian Marciniak for the numerous Freestyle music concerts they have promoted over the years, I knew Joe and his family from having grown up across the street from their family home on 85 West Avenue (Lower West Side).

I will be turning 46 this year and for as long as I can remember, I have always known the Marciniak/Jamieson family, and as I gave my eulogy on February 17th, a great number of the memories I shared were centered on remembering Joe as a man of character and someone many of us looked up to. Whenever I think of my father, I can’t help but think of a memory tied to Joe Marciniak. In the weeks after my father passed away, just a week and a half before Christmas 2002, I ran into Joe Marciniak in front of the Marciniak/Jamieson home on West Avenue, just across the street from my own family home. Joe and I talked about my dad, and one thing that always stayed with me from that conversation was when he said my father had “character.” At the time, my young, jaded mind didn’t understand what he meant by this, as to know my father, Joe the Barber, was to know he was quite the character, however, Joe corrected me and stated “he was a man of character” and explained why.

I think about these words whenever I think about my dad and try to live up to them. I have Joe Marciniak to thank for helping me understand what “character” really meant. He was a natural teacher; it wasn’t a surprise when he passed away to read numerous messages about the mark he left on so many as a teacher at McKinley High. His legacy will forever live on. Knowing how well-versed in history he was and wanting to pass on that knowledge at his alma mater which also happens to be my alma mater, McKinley High, solidified the type of character he possessed.