Thinking of you today and missing you always.......

Joey….I come to this page to wish you a happy birthday. I pretend that this is the phone call I would have made like every other year. 
I was recently home and took a walk down Sycamore Lane…I was overwhelmed with memories of you. I am forever grateful that YOU were the guy down the street who became my life long friend. I miss catching up with you and sharing our lives. I loved the bond we shared that was never awkward or fake…simply my ‘other’ brother, born on the same day as Bobby. I miss you everyday. R.I.P my friend…Happy Birthday.

I went to high school with Joe. Joe was the “all American athlete” with brains and great charm. He had a dignity not usually seen in high school age. He was genuinely kind, mature and respectful. Such a short time here for such an honorable guy.  Joe was goodness manifested.
Sincerely,
Janie Z

Missing you Joey on the 2nd anniversary of your passing. You were my stand in, my rock, and my 'person' for all things that required a male presence or perspective…. I miss you my friend, and am forever grateful for the years we shared.

Forever and always in my thoughts. Thinking of you on your birthday Joey. Missing you my dear dear friend. XOXO

Like a few of you, I'm finding out the terrible news of Joe's passing after the fact. Like ALL of us, I'm reeling from the impossible reality that we've lost someone whose actions every day made the world a little brighter and safer: as a treasured friend, loving family man, and gifted doctor. I met Joe more than forty years ago when I arrived at Williams in 1977. Leaving home in Southern California to go to college in western Massachusetts sometimes felt like I'd landed on the surface of the moon, but Joe was that warm and sensitive J.A. in the Quad that could throw his arm over your shoulder, joke and tease, and then get serious and say, "You look like something's going on - want to talk?" How easily he could cycle between deep caring and utter lightheartedness - true to his heritage, he embodied both the soulfulness of the ages and the mischief of a leprechaun. My freshman year roommate and I signed on as the first female managers of the Williams football team. Taping ankles before practice, moving tackling sleds on Cole Field, endlessly supplying Gatorade and water, traveling to away games, we bonded with our raucous teammates and became the little sisters who were constantly picked on. Without a sense of humor we wouldn't have made it through a week, let alone three seasons! But in the rough-and-tumble of practices in bad weather, tempers and injuries, the frustration of losing and the exhilaration of winning, there was always Joe - making us laugh, but also protective, respectful, affectionate-- the way he was throughout his life. We moved to Dodd House as sophomores, and so the fun never ended - from the football field to the dining room to the lawns in good weather and the common areas for parties around the year. When I say those were our halcyon days... just unforgettable. Fast forward to adulthood and the years passing by, and I'm so grateful now that Joe and I reconnected in 2005 and stayed in touch from then on. He wrote me a note in 2012 when I was elected a Williams Alumni Trustee and said, "I'm looking forward to hearing that you'll stir things up on the board. Don't disappoint me!" And then he came to our Class of '81's 35th Reunion in 2016, one of a half a dozen of our J.A.s who all those years later still considered us "their" freshmen and showed up just to celebrate with us. That was Joe's jam: not just talk, but action. Not just nostalgia, but always wanting new memories to be made: asking about our families, dancing with us to '80's tunes with the biggest smile on his face, like there was nowhere else on earth he'd rather be in that moment. And I'm sure there wasn't. To Maeve and Bridget, I want to say that because your dad touched us all in unforgettable ways, you must always know that you have a huge extended network of his friends who would do anything for you just because of how much we loved him. And may all of us remember and do what Joe taught us to do: love life and the people around us, and live every moment to the fullest.

Dear Joe, We are planning our Borough Boys Summer Dinner. I thought about sending it to your email. The crew is looking a little light. We are missing you and Mike W. I am sure we will re-hash some of the tales of the events that took place working at the Borough.......after all, it was our college years and the drinking age was 18. Who can forget the Princeton "Rock Room" on a Wednesday night. We paid a one dollar cover and received three drafts beers for a buck. Egdon Health would finish the night with Rosalita. I honestly think every pretty girl at the shore would be at the Princeton that night.  Stokesy stated that you would be mad if we did not continue our Borough Boys Dinners....I am sorry you won't be there physically but you are with us.  Peace

Happy birthday to my college roommate. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about Joe, but I take great comfort in knowing he is in heaven...and gets to watch over his beautiful daughters every day. Thanks for all the insight and advice you gave me in my life. If you sent me the bill, I'd owe you a trillion dollars! You're the best, Doc!

I wish I could pick up the phone today and call to say "Happy Birthday Bro" like always. I miss you my friend, but I know that you and Pat are together and celebrating your day in Heaven. You are forever in my heart Joey.....thinking of you on your day.

We sure missed Joe at our 40th Reunion at Williams last weekend, but he was there in spirit for sure. We all thought about him. Reunions were when I would catch up with him, and I kept looking for his smiling face.

My deepest sympathy to the Family,as an over 5 yr patient I had the utmost respect for Dr Maguire both professionally and as a human being.I could tell from the conversations we had, and the way all of the technicians in the office talked about him that he was a great human being and my confidence in him as a Dr gave me a very secure feeling about me eyesight.His professionalism and devotion to his patients was very obvious.His devotion to his family was always obvious by the way his face lit up when I asked how his girls were.I pray his memory and these wonderful tributes bring the family comfort.

Dr Maguire was amazingly kind. His guidance when I was a medical student helped me choose ophthalmology as my specialty. He helped me create a research project about retinal disease, which made me competitive for the ophthalmology residency match, and then assisted me in finding a job in private practice. There was absolutely no reason that he had to help me— we weren’t connected in anyway other than that he loved what he did and he wanted to share that love of his field with others. I can’t believe he’s gone. I regret I didn’t sent him a note lately to tell him how much he meant to me and how his guidance and kindness continues to inspire me. His was the best type of person there is: kind, smart, hardworking, and willing to go out of his way for so many people. The world is less without men like him. I’m so so sorry for his family.

This is just a fun fact that many of you outside of Williams College may not have known. When we were in college, a popular TV show about two detectives was called "Starsky and Hutch". Starsky was an extremely funny, friendly and likable character that had a large, curly head of hair. Joe had a similar personality...and even more importantly, the same hairdo... so early in our freshman year, he was immediately nicknamed "Starsky"...which is the nickname we all affectionately used for him until the very end. God Bless you, Starsky.

Joe Maguire was a great mentor and friend. He was a role model for all of us trained at Wills. So kind to everyone and truly interested. We shared many a spiritual conversation. He was so proud of his family especially his daughters and he was very brave. He will be missed...

I didn't know Joe very well in college, just to say hello to but he always said hello back. However over all these years since I had the pleasure of getting to know him and i enjoyed every conversation i had with him. When you were speaking with Joe, you always knew he was really listening to you and you were having a wonderful one on one conversation. He had that gift, to make you feel like you were the only one in the room. As I reflect on the passing of this wonderful guy, I am moved by the fact that we also just lost a former President, George H. W. Bush. All weekend i have been thinking of how much these two wonderful guys and great Americans had in common. Humble, incredibly accomplished, competent, wonderful fathers, husbands and friends, who whenever they were with you, you came away uplifted, enriched, enlightened, and always feeling better than you did before. i have only read this about President H. W. Bush but i experienced it with Joe first hand. Joe, those of us who were lucky enough to know you, will never forget you, the same as a humble President we once had. Rest in peace knowing that you left so many of us better for knowing you.

I first met Joe in the fall of 1975, our Freshman year in Fayerweather. He was across the hall from me , rooming with Kenny, part of a diverse and unique entry of guys from all over the country that showed up at Williams and has stayed close after all these years. We don't need to recount the list here.  Joe loved to tell the story, years later, and I loved to hear it, about how one of the first days at school a bunch of us who were going to play football went to the Field House to work out and how we all tried to impress each other by running the fastest, the longest, and so on....he of course made it look so easy.  We all loved Joe so much, from the start, although back in the day we wouldn't have called it that. He was super smart, funny, generous, studious, a true gentleman, but tough as hell when he put on the pads. I mean we all no doubt inflate our athletic prowess with the passage of time, but to play his position at the size he was, and play it so well, was just awesome. He was just relentless, with those big shoulder pads and that purple helmet squashing down all of that dark curly hair.  Many of us, myself definitely included, had a little help from the athletic department to make it into Williams, but it was obvious Joe did it on his own, and that he was destined for big things. You just knew he had a view of the bigger picture.  He combined football, fun, and schoolwork like few have ever done. 
   Being on opposite sides of the country not long after graduation, we didn't get to see each other often enough, but the few times we got together at the alumni golf tournament sure were memorable.  He loved to laugh and to tell jokes and be surrounded by ''the boys'', he made a connection with everyone, he asked about your wife, your kids, he remembered their names, always. He was constantly talking about his wife and his two '' girls'' though I knew he knew they should properly be called ''women'' these days. When he talked about his family you could feel the pride and love oozing out of him. It just fit him perfectly.  He was also so professionally accomplished, but you'd never hear it from him. The fact that he became a doctor, as he might've put it , was a no brainer. I'm sure he did Med School like in his sleep .  He was, from what I understand, world class in the field of Ophthalmology, and I can imagine everyone of his patients loved him as much as his friends did. How secure would you feel if you were a patient of Dr. Joseph Maguire?  I can just picture him calming someone down who was about to have their eyes operated on. " I got this '' he'd no doubt say..'' done it a million times... not to worry.'' I know for all of us he was always available for advice, or consultation or recommendation, or to answer a stupid question like '' what about those drugstore magnifiers do those hurt your eyes?" ( He said no. ) He was always ready to talk on the phone or send an email or a text.  We were all stunned and devastated beyond belief by the news that he was sick, and wasn't it just like him to keep it quiet ?  He didn't want to bother anyone. We all understood that was his choice and we respected it but if we had know sooner, I don' t know, maybe we could have helped him ? Comforted him and his family longer ? We knew the prognosis wasn't good but we hoped for .. what.. a miracle ? New treatment? More time ? Something ?  It wasn't to be. We made our peace with it and said our tentative goodbyes in the best way we could.  Then that terrible text from Kenny the morning after Thanksgiving with the news we never wanted to hear. And then after he passed away, to learn that he lost his wife Pat too ? Bridget and Maeve lost both parents ? Incomprehensible.  Life is way too cruel, too unfair as if we had to be reminded of that.   If Joe had been stricken with something else, and could've been helped or saved with something from his friends, an organ transplant, a blood donation, anything, there would've been a line from Philly stretching 100 miles long in five minutes. Dr. Joe Maguire embraced life and lived it fully, leaves two beautiful young ladies as a legacy, as well as countless grieving friends who will never forget him or the all too brief but brilliant bright line he shone on the world .

So I have known and worked with Joe for 34 years. Like a brother. We were classmates and colleagues at Wills Eye, buddies and friends forever. We experienced our careers together. He was always there for me - and me for him. Today was his beautiful and incomparably divine and religious funeral, for which I sang every song in his honor. It was difficult but celebratory for me as this was Joe Maguire's Special Day, ascending into the glorious clouds of Heaven - into the safety of our Lord. He loved us and we loved him. Forever I will remember and honor him. Carol Shields

Very sad to hear of Doctor Maguire’s Passing. I was a patient of his. His talent and caring saved my eyesight.
I will keep him and his family in my prayers.
Thank you for everything Doctor Maguire.

Today my life long friend, Joey, is being put to rest. It’s hard to process that this larger than life man has left before us. 
I knew Joey in high school…before all his huge accomplishments, all his degrees and all his awards….yet I knew, even back then, he was someone special.
I don’t remember exactly how we met…all I know is that our friendship was instantaneous and without any high school teenage awkwardness. We just clicked. 
45 years later, no distance or separations could diminish our friendship. The second we spoke, texted or saw each other, we fell right back into our teasing easy banter. We called each other 'sis’ and ‘bro’ and my family loved him like he was one of us. 
He was the boy down the street that picked me up every morning to take me to high school. Every morning he got out of the driver seat to open my passenger door. And every morning I’d say to Joey, don’t waste your gallantry on me….but he just couldn’t stop being the perfect gentleman. Every mom wanted their sons to be like him, every mom wanted their daughters to date him.
He was always kind, always polite, always with a sparkle in his eye and a smile on his lips…always ready with a quick, witty comment, always there for anyone who needed him and always the best listener.
Yes,… his accomplishments were many …but his greatest gift was the genuine love, passion and integrity he shown for his family, friends, co-workers and patients.
I have been blessed with stand up men in my life….my dad, my brother and Joey…and they all lived on Sycamore Lane.
Joey…please reserve a property down the street from yours in Heaven … so we can pick up where we left off….
How great it has been to know the likes of you. You are forever in my heart….

Joe helped me with many patients.  Every one of them told me how glad they were that they had "seen Dr. Maguire." It is rare for a person who achieved so much and who had such great skill to be so humble and dignified.
He remains in my heart and mind as a fine person and fine physician.

I am a classmate from Williams College.
Joey was:
- Always a gentleman (and various college shenanigans tested this!)
- A scholar
- A devoted friend, husband and father
- and a nice guy to the core
You'll be missed, big guy. 
My deepest condolences to Maeve and Bridget...he always lit up when he talked about you.  He loved you to the moon and back.

I love reading all these testimonials because they eloquently describe Joe perfectly. My life changed on the first day of college because I had the good fortune to have Joe as my roommate, and for the next 43 years, he remained one of my closest friends....and possibly the greatest human that I ever knew. When I think about Joe, I think about many things, but a significant one is his commitment to family, whether it was to his wife of 30+ years Pat, or his loving daughters Maeve and Bridget, or his or Pat's immediate family. He also treated everyone that he knew as "family", welcoming them into his warm and witty world. The cancer that took his life will not define him...but the way that he fought this battle will. He personified courage, perseverance, endless optimism and such a ferocious case of determination and grit. Joe was always a warrior in both life and death, and he always displayed all these traits with tremendous dignity. Joe is no longer of this world, but he is in a far better place. His legacy of being the ultimate family man, professional and friend in this world, though, will live forever. God Bless Joe Maguire. We all love you...and will NEVER forget you!

Joe Maguire was a great individual. Not only was he a very talented doctor and retinal surgeon, but he was a kind and thoughtful friend. He took great pleasure in picking on me about everything and we shared some great laughs. We had good times together both in the clinic and operating room at Wills. Toward the end of his life, he stopped by our house three times on Sundays just to pay us a visit. He did not reveal at that time that he had this serious medical problem. He was a wonderful individual who will never be forgotten by all of his good friends and colleagues. My wife Carol and I will truly miss him.

The Maguires
I have listed a few quotes of Dr. Maguire and a few more from noted poets Joe would use to capture a moment on our email chain of 180 plus Ephs. I am not a tech person so I am still searching for a few older quotes but some of my classmates have helped me gather the ones listed below.
I would only add at this time my favorite quote “Noli Timere” which comes from the Bible when Jesus is walking across (on) the water and tells his disciples not to be afraid as the storm approaches. The Irish poet Seamus Heaney used it when he wrote to his wife moments before passing, “Noli Timere”. 
Your dad will always be in the hearts of the class of 79 and all who were blessed to spend just a moment with him. I know he would smile at Maeve’s “Law of Snowboarding” or her recognition that we are all works in progress. Believe me, at 61 I am still getting there (wherever there is). I wanted you to know how much your dad will be missed and hope you reach out anytime you need to. 
God Bless
Gerry Kelly 79
Joe Maguire
Sun, December 31, 2017 5:03 PM

Though nothing can bring back the hour
Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower,
We will grieve not, but rather find
Strength in what remains behind;
In the primal sympathy
Which having been must ever be;
In the soothing thoughts that spring
Out of human suffering;
In the faith that looks through death.
Thanks to the human heart by which we live,
Thanks to its tenderness, its joys, and fears,
To me the meanest flower that blows can give
Thoughts that do often lie too deep for tears.
-Walt Whitman

“When he shall die,
Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun
shakespeare

1/17/2010 4:15 PM, Joe Maguire wrote:
Think where mans glory most begins and ends -
and say my glory was I had such friends.
WB Yeats

Thu, Jan 5, 2017, 5:31 PM
(Joe responding to Tim Layden’s (Williams ’78) article on Tom Brady in Sports Illustrated)
‬, ‪Great read Tim.
"Thanks to the human heart by which we live..."
Small acts of kindness cost nothing, but have infinite value.
J

These words were written by Dr. Maguire on 12/28/14 to console a grieving Mike Spound.
“There is never great loss without great pain as we eventually all must say good-bye, but that is surely a measure of how great it was to know someone like him.”

I was fortunate enough to be a football teammate of Joe's at Williams College, graduating a year after he did. I haven't had the fortune of seeing Joe in person since graduating, but have forever recalled his smile, his intelligence, his beyond belief personality and willingness to help all that he crossed paths with. I was fortunate enough to trade a few emails with him over the years since those Williams days, and every one of those email conversations brightened my day when reading his side of the messages. He was one of those people that I have always wished I could be more like. He was always trying to help others and he helped me more than he could ever know, when I was a lost freshman, 3,000 miles from home and missing my small town life and friends from home. He was a steadying influence to me as he was to everyone he met. Always putting others before himself in hopes of making their lives better. And, he did make the lives better of all those fortunate enough to have crossed paths with him.
God Bless.

Always quick with a smile and a friendly greeting. Honored to be a classmate at Williams, '79.  I always knew he was busy, productive, and working to push and improve himself. Loved seeing him with his afro hair on campus. Always thought he used it to help his helmet padding for football.  Will miss seeing him and chatting via email. He leaves us too early.

Joe was a giant in the Class of '79 at Williams. He excelled in the classroom and on the athletic field, the definitive scholar-athlete. His life accomplishments, both personal and professional, are no surprise to anyone.  But to focus only on his accomplishments is to miss the man. He was exceptionally friendly, wise and funny; a man of humility, charm and dignity; both a leader and a regular guy. I was not among his closest friends at Williams, but he made me feel -- as he did so many others -- as if we were. Just a great guy to be around, and I'll miss him.

Dear Joe, you are and will always be one of the greats, with all that word means for the depth of your character, sense of fairness, love for your family and friends, work ethic, and super sense of humor. Stories? A few small tidbits which mean the world to me because I can hear you and see you smiling when I think of them. How you would tell about your second date with Pat, teasing her about how she fell for you right away, Pat pretending she didn’t, and the two of you laughing together over that, looking as young and in love as the day you met. How you drew me a map so I would get home safely from the shore after a wonderful day visiting Pat you and infant Maeve. I was very pregnant and you were worried about my driving alone at night. How as your patient you always made me feel (and I know of others) like I was the only patient on your crammed schedule that day. Never rushed anyone. How you referred warmly to Mrs Joyce as “mom” and respected her and Dr Joyce. How you took care of the three most important treasures in your life, Pat, Maeve, and Bridget with such joy at doing so. We are lucky to have been a part of your life and smiles.

No one loved an eyeball like this guy!
He enjoyed every moment of sharing his knowledge about the retina. After a long clinic he would say to the resident or visitor of the day "Hey I'll show you that video...". That man was a one of a kind. In our down time he would often talk about his girls, you just knew he was a great Dad and loved his family. Sometimes he would talk about his friends and his college days. We would all gather around to listen to his stories in hallway A and laugh. I can still see him coming around the corner in his white jacket. On Thursdays he would come up between cases and give us some quick comedy relief during our busy day. Oh we we miss him. MAR will never be the same, for he left a big void in our hearts. I miss him and his beautiful smile and loving eyes. He made us all feel special and we were lucky to have worked with him, to have known him, and that's why we loved him.

I have had the honor of working with Dr Maguire for 16 years.  He was always a true gentleman, found humor in everything, was always fair, respectfully gave constructive criticism, appreciated his staff and thanked them often, hosted the best ice cream parties for staff, and had a smile that would warm your heart.  He found a way to connect with everyone and make them feel special. Dr Maguire adored his girls and spoke of them often.  MAR and WEH have a void, he will be missed tremendously.

What an amazing human being - Joe Maguire. It's 1995-1996. I am a step-child Temple Resident in Ophthalmology working at Lankenau Hospital with the Wills Faculty. Once a week, he would stay late and show me and my co-residents slides and talk retina, ophthalmology and life. As he spoke I was absorbing his beautifully organized mind, his self-deprecating yet super cool sense of humor and his warmth. We learned so much from him! Amazing role model and just all-around wonderful human being. Thank you Joe Maguire for your contributions to this world. God bless. You will be dearly missed. Shannon Wong, MD (Temple Ophthalmology 1997).

Joe we hardly knew yee, you passed us so fast with your deeds!
I am grateful for our talks about investments and markets. How you were concerned for fair treatment in the markets: yes we had stimulating discussions.
I am blessed to have worked with you and to have known you. You made my game better when we talked. You were always upbeat.
"Sunset and evening star
  And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
  When I put out to sea,"
Joe you have crossed the bar ...
  I hope you see our pilot face to face, When You
have crossed the bar....
And I know you are preparing the way for us! We will try not to Moan as the poem says.
So adeu my friend ...you have left us but will never be forgotten! Our prayers are with you and Patricia.

Joe and Pat were probably our first Philly friends, welcoming us to the neighborhood and Baldwin, having just moved from Seattle in 1999. We spent a lot of time around the Maguires and Joe was the consummate good guy, as everyone knows - like he never had a bad day. He patiently listened to stories he had heard 100 times by my husband, checked our eyes, always asked how we were doing, was a great co-host at endless dinner/holiday parties, always fun and kind..except when my daughter kicked him in the shin when he yelled at her for throwing snowballs at Longwood Gardens. Well, even Joe was human. Boy, I will miss him. My heart and deepest sympathies go out to Bridget and Maeve.

My tribute goes back to High School - Joe was the consummate class president. Just what you would imagine a class president to be - handsome, smart, funny, loved by all. You knew that Joe was going to make a difference with his life.
As I read about him, I see that he certainly has made a difference.
And even though we were just Facebook friends at this point, Joe will always be a part of my memories.

Joe was a wonderfully unassuming man who enjoyed success (a lot of it, as I discovered reading the testimonies to his generosity, kindness, empathy and professional achievements.) Joe was a fun person to be around and always left you feeling good about yourself. Whenever I saw him, he'd come over to talk, and if someone he knew walked by, he'd introduce that person to me and begin bragging about my photo collection. Then he'd say, "You're too humble, way too modest." These words, coming from a person whose own modesty was exemplary in the spirit of human consciousness, leave me touched moreso. I will miss him a lot and wish I had known he was a college football player! I would have bragged about good ol' #51.

I've just learned,today, (11/30/18) that Joe was born on June 29th a significant date in my life, as I met and photographed the most influential performers on my life: Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones (1975) Stephen Stills and Neil Young (1976). Joe's in good company, needless to say, I'll always remember the day Joe Maguire started his journey in life.

I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Dr. Maguire for the past seven years. He had a personality that was larger than life, with a heart to match. You always knew when it was the first day of Spring. Dr. Maguire would show up wearing striped seersucker pants and white shoes. His sense of humor and compassion will be missed by all.

In happy times and in sad times, Dr. Maguire was always there. I am heartbroken to hear of his passing and will miss him very much. I always enjoyed working with him and listening to his stories and jokes. I’ll never forget the hilarious “Shiloh” memory, the Clark Griswold turban and the countless other laughs we shared. God Bless him and his family during this very difficult time. Thank you for the great memories, Doc. You were one in a million.

Dr. Maguire was an amazing mentor and role model to us as fellows. He left a huge impact on all who worked with him with his insights, his humor, and his ever present grace. I have so many more thoughts, but will share one story:
Late February of my 1st year of fellowship before clinic Dr. Maguire pulled me into a room to talk privately. I had no idea why; I didn’t know him that well at the time and assumed I had done something. Instead he told me he saw I did not get a research grant fellowship and just wanted to tell me personally that I was doing a great job as a fellow and researcher, that he was proud of me, and to keep working hard. It meant a ton to me as a young man early in my career to hear that from him.

Great friend, mentor, and colleague-Joe was a major inspiration in my life, personal and professional alike. Positive, he lit up every room he entered and made everyone feel great. Smart, he defined what it meant to be a renaissance man. Witty, he was never short on sharp comments. Devoted, he was the consummate family man, adored by his spouse and daughters. Skilled, he was a great surgeon and teacher. Caring, he exemplified the empathetic physician. He touched my life in so many wonderful ways, I know his spirit will live on in everyone of us who had the great fortune of knowing him.

We will deeply miss his larger than life personality, smile and wave. He was a pillar of the neighborhood (and clearly his family and community) and even my youngest children recognize that a great man was lost yesterday. Our love, thoughts and prayers are with Joe & Pat's family.