Dr. Joseph P. Libonati

 

A long-time member of the Maryland Branch of the ASM, passed away on October 20, 2020. Joe served as the Maryland Branch President in 1973 and continued as a regular attendee at Branch meetings until just prior to the Covid-19 shutdown. Joe was well-known as being one of the friendliest and most dedicated Branch members.

Dr. Libonati received his PhD at the University of Maryland Baltimore and continued to collaborate with investigators there long after he received his degree. Most notably, he co-authored a number of highly cited papers on human challenge studies for cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever and other enteric diseases. ( https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=libonati+jp ) In 1966, he joined the Maryland Department of Health where he had a long and distinguished career, retiring in 1997 as Deputy Director of Laboratories Administration. In retirement, he continued to consult on microbiology, attend Maryland ASM Branch meetings and lectured at the Johns Hopkins University. Besides his work on enteric diseases with University of Maryland investigators, he published a number of other papers on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Neisseria gonorrhea, and other pathogens.

In describing Joe as a person, we cannot improve upon the obituary published at the Ruck Funeral Home site ( https://www.ruckfuneral.com/obituary/dr-joseph-libonati ), which is given below.

 

Dr. Joseph P. Libonati, microbiologist, former Deputy Director of Laboratories Administration for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, and fan of science fiction, peacefully departed Earth on October 20, 2020 to boldly go where no man has gone before.

 

“Joe” was born in 1941 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the first son of Paschal and Paula Libonati and one of eight children. Surrounded by his older sisters, Marie, Peggy, and Paula; his twin sister Joanne; and his younger siblings Betty, John, and Frank, Joe’s adventurous spirit led him to discover the streets and underground passageways of Philadelphia, and later the back roads, chicken coops, and blackberry and sumac brambles of Blackwood Terrace, New Jersey. Returning to Carlton Street, Philadelphia, Joe graduated from Roman Catholic and did his undergraduate studies at St. Joseph’s University. He navigated the tunnels of Pittsburgh to attend Duquesne University for his master’s. His pursuit of knowledge led him to the University of Maryland in Baltimore for his PhD in microbiology. While there, he noticed a young nursing student, Carol Kubeluis, whom he eventually approached to ask out - apparently first telling her he worked for the telephone company. Despite that original ploy for a date, Carol and Joe married and celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary in February. Three daughters, Genevieve, Rachel, and Stephanie, filled their Baltimore home leaving Joe outnumbered. The family dogs over the years, Frodo, Elmo, and Rocky, were not only important members of the family but also provided male companionship to Joe, a role his “lunch buddy” Elmo undoubtedly fulfilled. Joe ensured that his daughters were well-prepared for their own adventures in life, teaching them to paint houses, change tires, install burglar alarms, and perform basic home repair as well as offering financial advice and always being available when help was needed. He served for many years on the Board of Trustees for Mercy High School to assist other young women in their pursuit of education.

 

As Dr. Libonati, Joe conducted research on tuberculosis, shigellosis, cholera, and salmonella devoting his professional life to public health. After 31 years at the Maryland State Laboratories, he retired in 1997 but continued his dedication to the field consulting and teaching microbiology and biotechnology at Johns Hopkins. He was for many decades an active member of the American Society of Microbiology.

 

Joe enjoyed the pursuit of good, reasonably priced wine: his friends and family enjoyed the fruits of that labor. He was also known to fix anything that needed fixing (except Carol’s binoculars), setting up computers for friends and family, mowing the neighbor’s lawn, grilling a well-done steak, and enjoying a cold beer (or some bourbon). September in Maine has been his favorite vacation spot for the last decade or so, with plenty of homemade pie and “lobstah.” Prior to that, Joe enjoyed traveling, not only to the beaches in Bethany, Delaware but also to Europe and South America. Whether it was introducing Italy to a daughter or being shown Germany by another daughter, Joe loved to discover new places. Joe also had a great love for chocolate and afternoon walks with his best buddy. Joe will be remembered by his hilarious jokes, sharp wit, and caring kindness that would surface when you weren’t expecting it.

 

Joe reached his final frontier in his battle with what was originally thought to be Parkinsons and later diagnosed as PSP. His companions at Maryland Association for Parkinson Support, and in particular at their exercise programs, helped him and Carol navigate this illness with friendship and empathy. His humor, friendship, and honor in life will not be forgotten by his family, friends, and colleagues. Joe is survived by his wife Carol; daughters Genevieve, Rachel, and Stephanie; sons-in-law Franklin Bermeo and Harald Landmann; grandson Rasmus, and eight grand puppies.

 

For those who wish to remember Joe with a donation to an organization that mattered to him, his family suggests the Maryland Association for Parkinson Support (www.marylandparkinsonsupport.org ) or Mercy High School (www.mercyhighschool.com ). Or maybe just tune-up your car and check the air pressure in your tires - he would have wanted that.