Joseph L. Accongio

Joseph Lawrence Accongio, 79, of Easton, Maryland, died at home in his own bed—as he wished—at 8:18 on the evening of April 18, 2026. Joe was born in Rochester, New York, the son of Lawrence Angelo Accongio and Stefania Zazinski Accongio. He grew up on Warehouse Street, part of a hard-working Italian-American family. Polio struck him at the age of seven, leaving him with a paralyzed leg, and three qualities that would define the rest of his life: compassion, stubborn determination, and a sense of humor. He was a handyman par excellence and a born inventor, devising Rube Goldberg-style contraptions to work around every obstacle the world put in his way. He was also a lifelong prankster who kept family, colleagues, and unsuspecting bystanders on their toes. He graduated from Jefferson High School in 1964 and earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Rochester in 1968. His first job was teaching science back at Jefferson—where he took pride in coaching the chess team, and in his special qualification certificate to handle lunar rocks. It was also at Jefferson that he met the love of his life, Sheila Lippa, a fellow science teacher whose classroom shared an adjoining greenhouse with his own. For Joe, it was love at first sight. They married on March 21, 1969. In those early years, on top of his teaching, Joe worked nights and summers to provide for his young family, doing auto repair and playing saxophone in his band, Arion 70. Joe went on to earn a master's degree, and a Certificate of Advanced Study from SUNY Brockport, followed by a doctorate in education from SUNY Buffalo in 1986. The doctorate led him to the job he loved most: school principal. He was an award-winning educator who loved his students as much as they loved him. He founded a charter school and received a certificate of commendation from the New York State Board of Regents and the State Education Department for reforms that made "a significant, positive impact on the lives and education of young adolescents in his own community and across New York State." His work also took him, for a time, to New York City, where he served as a consultant for the Children's Television Workshop on the Emmy-winning Square One TV--which, to the delight of his daughters, more than once put him face-to-face with Big Bird. Joe retired in 2001 and moved permanently to Easton in 2014, where he and Sheila could be closer to their daughters and enjoy the shore weather and close friendships in a community of neighbors who quickly learned what a jokester he was. In his final years, post-polio syndrome gradually took back the independence he had spent a lifetime fighting for. He met this challenge the way he had met everything else: with determination, optimism and strength, to the very end. Joe is survived by his wife Sheila, his daughters Stephanie Dray and Jennifer Thomas, and his sons-in-law Adam Dray and Christopher Thomas. A funeral mass will be held at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, 1214 S Washington St, Easton, MD 21601 on May 1, 2026 at 11 a.m., followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution in memory of Joseph to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (https://t2t.org/), in support of catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, or to the charity of your choice.

Joseph L. Accongio

June 15, 1946 - April 18, 2026