By Mary Quilici Aumack, CEO
In April of this year, we lost my “baby” brother, Joe. It was unexpected and sudden.
Joe was the youngest of the six Quilici children, and the only boy. Yes, that’s right, FIVE older sisters. My sisters and I have now joined the club of having lost a sibling. The depth of the loss is countered by the import of his life: the contributions and connections that he made, the legacy that he leaves.
We talk a lot about legacy at the Foundation. This one is personal.
Three of the Quilici “kids” went to St. Justin grammar school. My brother volunteer coached basketball there for roughly 30 years. He was also a JV basketball coach at Bellarmine.
Yes, he was a great coach. But his legacy is in caring connections.
His memorial service was in the basketball gym at Bellarmine. There were almost 500 people there. When my niece asked all those to stand who were coached by him, coached with him, or reffed with or for him, it was heartwarming.
In listening to the speakers, I realized that I knew, and yet I didn’t know, the depth and reach of his connections. One young man remarked that he was coached by “Coach Joe” at St. Justin. He then went on to play for Serra High School, in college, and for a few years in Europe. In Europe, on game day, he would get a text from Coach Joe letting him know that he was rooting for him.
At the service were “kids” from the neighborhood in which we grew up, more connections that he fostered throughout his life.
We knew that many people would want to do something to remember his life and impact. His children decided to create a tuition assistance fund, the Joseph P. Quilici Scholarship Fund for St. Justin School. This fund supports worthy students at St. Justin School. Gifts from 70 different families contributed to the fund. This scholarship will provide assistance for St. Justin students over many years.
As his five sisters, four children and seven grandchildren mourn this loss, we recognize the ineffable value of his legacy, and we are grateful.
