Joe was my announcing partner for the girls basketball team. I always seemed to be a step behind. I was still doing play by play on previous action while the game was getting away from me. Joe, on the other hand, was able to keep it in present tense. Of course he was constantly cracking me up which didn't help!
On another more serious note, when my girlfriend after high school broke up with me I was heartbroken. Joe took it upon himself, uninvited, to come to my house to make sure I was ok. Back then guys didn't do that kind of thing. It was very appreciated.
JOEY was and is one of a kind. I'm better for having known him.
NPHS Senior Ball 1975 : It's 3 weeks to the Senior Prom…the last Prom I will ever attend…my gown is hanging in my closet and my boyfriend decides to break up with me….I, being “Prom Chairman”, put a lot of time and preparation into our final dance - themed “We May Never Pass This Way Again”… and it was looking like I was not even going to pass this way ONCE. As always, I shared my latest ‘boy drama’ with Joey,…and unbeknown to me, he asks his girlfriend, who is a Junior, if she would mind if he took me to the Senior Ball instead of her since I was a Senior and Prom Chairman!!! I mean, who does that??? What High School boy sacrifices an evening of dance, fun and …. with his girlfriend, to attend the dance with the girl next door??? Well….Joey did ! And to his Junior class girlfriend (you know who you are)…thank you for giving me this happy memory with Joey!
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Graduation - June 10th 1975 The Class of 1975 Graduated on my 18th Birthday….. Joey was Class President and I was Class Secretary. After the Graduation ceremony Joey invited the entire class to my Graduation / Birthday party….my Mom loved that!!
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Night in Venice : Relationships were never my strong suit, but thank God for Joey cause he was always there for me when I needed an escort. I was a contestant in the Ocean City Nights in Venice pageant and starved myself all summer striving to meet my goal weight and fit in my old 501’s! Joey, (my escort) and parents came to the pageant….. which I promptly lost! The minute it was over, Joey said let’s celebrate with hot fudge sundaes and chocolate cake!! It was one of my happiest memories with Joey and my Mom & Dad just the 4 of us indulging in chocolate decadence. I could always be myself with Joe…it didn’t matter if I had hot fudge dripping down my face, or when he would pop over and I would meet him with no make up and my flannel night gown on…. We called each other Sis and Bro. In fact he shares the same birthday as my brother. I think about that debate in the movie "When Harry met Sally" and if Men & Women can really be just friends…….Joey & I know it is an undeniable fact!
Joe Maguire will always be remembered by a mom and her hurt daughter.
I brought Hannah to see you after her diagnosis of LUPUS. A scary surprise after being hurt her entire life with a brittle bone disease, (OI). The medication she needed to take to save her could also be detrimental to her eye sight. Her CHOP Drs. wanted a baseline eye exam to observe her sight.
You were your kind, gentle self putting her at ease.
She said, “Dr. Maguire, am I going to go blind?” You so sweetly took her hand in yours and said, “No Hannah, you will not go blind, but, if for some reason you did, I know how strong you are and you would be okay, I know that you would remember all that you have seen and the beauty in it all.” Joe, you took my breath away, I left the room so Hannah would not see my tears.
Your eloquent delivery of such a beautiful answer to a scared, not understanding what has happened to her, young girl is something that is indelibly etched in my mind. It was yet another testament to wonderful man and Doctor.
When I later thanked you, you were so humble and truly wondering how much impact your kindness had on Hannah and me.
I thank you again. I will forever thank you.
May you have eternal peace and always “see the beauty in it all.”
I am so saddened to hear of Dr. Maguire's passing. He and I worked together at Mid Atlantic Retina. He was such an incredibly kind and compassionate man who really cared about his patients and treated his employees like family. My sincerest condolences to the Maguire family.
