Obituary of Joseph V. Lemmond Jr.

Joseph Vann Lemmond, Jr, of Albany died unexpectedly at Albany Medical Center on Tuesday, October 27. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 30 at 9:00 AM at the Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish Church on Union Street in Niskayuna. Burial will follow the service in the Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery. Joseph was born in Lynnfield, Mass, in 1954 but he grew up in Niskayuna. He graduated from Niskayuna High School in 1972. He attended Alleghany College and earned a bachelor’s degree from SUNY in Albany. Joseph was a big man with a big, golden heart. Though he carried burdens in his life that very few understand or imagine, Joseph strived for 50 years to improve himself and to assist others. Joe’s professional career was spent advocating for and helping others. Beginning in 1990, Joe worked as a consumer-housing advocate, where he worked helping people in the mental-health system find affordable housing. He worked on the Bus Buddy program, where he provided direct assistance to people who needed help with the Albany bus system. After Joe quit smoking, he started and led smoking cessation seminars for others. For years, he managed a program that provided free bicycles to those who needed them. In 2014, Joe was the Mental Health New York State (MHANYS) Volunteer of the Year. Joe was an active member of the Board of Directors of the Mental Health in New York State (MHANYS), where he worked for many years and developed cherished relationships with his colleagues. Together with Rehabilitation Support Services (RSS), the Association for Community Living (ACL), and MHANYS, Joseph conceived of and managed “Candidate’s Night”, where local political candidates would speak and answer questions on a wide variety of issues relating to the mental health community. Joe was also an important part of MHANY’s Voter Empowerment Project, which seeks to empower members of the mental health community to understand their voting rights. Joe would want everyone to vote on Tuesday, November 3. If he could, he would help everyone do so. For Joe, it was never enough to overcome an obstacle or burden for himself; what mattered was helping others do the same. Joe never gave up. Joe was a voracious reader, life-long learner, and an avid book collector. He enjoyed good food, studied politics, and happily followed the Boston Celtics. No one enjoyed the Christmas holidays with his family more than Joe; he began his Christmas shopping in July. Above all, Joe loved his family and they him. He is predeceased by his loving and caring parents, Ann C. Lemmond and Joseph V. Lemmond. He leaves behind his brothers David B. Lemmond (Shelley) of Maryland; Peter C. Lemmond of Moultonborough, NH; and Robert M. Lemmond (Karen) of Marblehead, MA. He will be missed by his nieces and nephews: Sara Lemmond; Jonathan Lemmond (Adrienne), their daughter Josephine; and Nicolas B. Lemmond. Big, golden hearts are rare and special things; Joseph will be missed by many. For directions and online condolences, please visit www.jonesfh.net Donations in Joe’s memory can be made to Rehabilitation Support Service, Inc., 5172 Western Turnpike, Altamont NY 12009. A celebration of Joe’s life, with his family and friends, will be held in Albany at a later date and once concerns of COVID-19 have subsided.