Stockade ambassador, theater maven Joe Fava dies
— In the Stockade neighborhood and local theaters, Joe Fava was as constant a presence as cobblestones and playbills.
His spirit and passion for the historic neighborhood and his devotion to community theater were complimented by a fondness for antiques, both the collecting and selling of them.
He loved his old home, too. His Facebook page indicates Fava, a Schenectady native who sold real estate for a living, lived in a 300-year-old home in the Stockade.
Fava resided since the early 1980s in the John Peek House at 27 N. Ferry St., one of the oldest in the neighborhood, the city’s original settlement. Fava liked to share the intricate details of his home. It was featured as part of tours that showcased the neighborhood’s historic homes and landscaping.
He died at 82 on Wednesday from complications related to cardiopulmonary conditions.
“He was larger than life, he certainly was unique and as I describe him, an icon in the Stockade,” said Mary D’Alessandro-Gilmore who knew Fava for 20 years. “You just had to smile when you were around him. He’s just very passionate about everything … and when you saw him he would just captivate you with his conversation.”
Stockade Association Vice President Colleen Macaulay joked Thursday that she beSCHENECTADY lieved the Cheshire cat borrowed its smile from Fava.
“My vivid memory of Joe will always be him with bullhorn and top hat… conducting our tree lighting over at Lawrence’s circle,” Macaulay said describing the annual holiday ceremony held each year in the heart of the Stockade. “He was a true neighbor in every sense of the word, he was always willing to collaborate or participate whether it be a garden tour or walk about…”
He served on the city Schenectady Industrial Development Agency and the Historic Commission.
Fava was a fixture in Schenectady’s theater scene, taking on the variety of tasks needed to pull off local productions.
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