Joseph Michael Colucci

Joseph Michael Colucci’s BIG heart stopped beating February 15, 2026 at his home at Kendal in Oberlin, Ohio.  Joe was born in Brooklyn, New York August 12, 1937. 

Joe was the first person in his family to leave New York City when he traveled to Michigan State University for college. He spent the majority of his life in Michigan before moving to Ohio in 2015.

Joe was a loving husband to Sue, wonderful father to Mike (Teresa), Cathy, and Chris (Monica) as well as a fun and devoted grandfather to Joe, Tony and Nick Colucci, Emily and Charlie Willis, and Sienna Colucci,  as well as a surrogate father to Danish foreign exchange student Micheal Hansen. 

Joe was a loving son and brother (Marie Hennebery), dedicated and patient mentor, kind and dependable friend…overall a very special man. 

Joe believed in always doing the right thing. We would never describe him as funny but he had a great sense of humor, and every once in a while, he loved to throw out a zinger and stun everybody. He was extremely smart, but in spite of being an engineer, he was willing to think outside the box. He was not a jock but he loved sports. He enjoyed traveling the world with Sue, his children and grandchildren. He looked forward to family get togethers, he loved living on Deer Lake in Clarkston Michigan, going to the movies, reading, bridge, and ice cream.

Joe led by example. He didn’t care about material things. He always treated everyone with respect. He believed strongly in fairness and equality. He was honest and trustworthy. He was dedicated to his job at General Motors as the Department Head for Fuels and Lubricants where he worked for over 35 years.

Joe was very accomplished in his field, and was once referred to as “ The Fuel Czar” by Newsweek magazine and even appeared on a segment of 60 Minutes with Dan Rather.

He was a member of the National Academy of Engineering, on the Board of Directors for the Society of Automotive Engineers, and on the Michigan State University Engineering School Board of Directors.  

A private memorial service will be held at a later date. If you would like to be included in this via Zoom, please reach out to a family member.

Additionally, in lieu of flowers or other gifts if you would like, please make a donation in Joe’s honor to Pathfinder Village,  Edmeston, NY.  Joe’s sister Camille attended Pathfinder for many years. 

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