Retired Marine taught life lessons to high-schoolers
Joseph Nardo served 30 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, rising to the rank of colonel during a career that included three tours in Vietnam.
But when he retired, he wasn’t done instilling qualities such as duty, honor, respect and dignity. So he launched a Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program at Oviedo High School, and led it for more than two decades.
“He was a servant leader, someone who always put the needs of others above himself,” said his son, Jeff Nardo of Winter Springs. “Whether you knew him for a few minutes or 40 or 50 years, he left an indelible mark. He changed a lot of lives.”
Nardo, of Winter Springs, died June 30 after a battle with cancer. Hewas 77.
A Philadelphia native, Nardo was a star running back in high school and went on to play at Villanova University on a football scholarship. He chose the school over 21 other scholarship offers so he could stay close to family and his girlfriend, Catherine Fera, Jeff Nardo said.
After graduation in1959, he married Fera. The following year he began his Marine career, inspired by two uncles who served in the Corps during World War II.
The couple had three sons, and the family followed Nardo to postings that included stops along the East Coast, California and Hawaii.
Along the way, his son recalled, Nardo “set an example of being selfless, of being dedicated, of leadership by example, basically embodying those tenets.”
Jeff Nardo was among those who were inspired by his father’s example: He followed his dad into the Marine Corps, serving in Operation Desert Storm during a 15-year career.
In 1990, the Nardos, their sons grown, settled in Winter Springs. Joseph Nardo, his son said, wasn’t well suited to a typical military retirement.
“He loathed the idea of just sitting around telling stories,” Jeff Nardo said. “He wanted to make a difference.”
So in 1993, he began the Naval JROTC program at Oviedo High. His son estimated he probably had 4,000 to 5,000 students during the ensuing 21 years. He remained active with the program until April of this year, when his health no longer permitted.
“Ifhe hadn’t gotten ill, hewould still be at it,” said Michael Blasewitz, executive director for secondary schools in Seminole County. “His dedication to that school and to those kids, that’s his legacy. He loved those students.”
His warm, soft-spoken manner went against the stereotype of the hard-nosed Marine drill sergeant. Many of his students were inspired to embark on careers in all branches of the military, but many more took the lessons he instilled into a variety of career fields, his son recalled.
“I don’t know how you even measure the impact that he had,” Blasewitz said. “He had a tremendous way of leading by example and helping guide teenagers through difficult times. I guess you measure it one kid at a time.”
Nardo’s wife, Catherine, died in 2009. The couple were married just shy of 50 years.
In addition to his son Jeff, Nardo is also survived by sons Mark Nardo of Indianapolis, Joseph Nardo of Virginia Beach, Va.; and four grandchildren.
Collison Family Funeral Home & Crematory, Howell Branch Chapel, Winter Park, handled arrangements.