Paterno
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Joe Paterno's son urges mourners at a Harrisburg memorial mass to carry out the command that 'became a driving force in my father's life.'
Paterno
The late Joe Paterno was toasted at Stocks on Second following a memorial Mass in Harrisburg on Wednesday, capped with a directive from his son, underscoring a philosophy his father embraced: ?Make an impact.?
Enlarge CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News Scott Paterno, bows his head in prayer, during a Memorial Mass for the late Joe Paterno at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg Wednesday February 15, 2012.
Since the 85-year-old legendary Penn State football coach died of lung cancer Jan. 22, there have been countless speeches and shared memories from those who were close.
The intimate stories have given admirers a peek into the Paterno his wife, children, grandchildren and players knew well. Anecdotes about his character, his humor, quirks and philosophies.
And on Wednesday, his son Scott Paterno told those at the Mass as St. Patrick Cathedral how there was only one thing Joe Paterno had wanted from his grandparents when they died ? a handmade, round kitchen table that would become a centerpiece of his home.
There was no head to a round table, ?making all opinions equal,? Scott Paterno recalled his father saying. ?And there?s always room for one more.?
Kait Sawyer, a student intern for the coach, recalled his swaggering gait and how he walked up to her like an ordinary Joe the day she started working for him four years ago. She said she?s a better person for having known him.
Scott Shirley, a former Nittany Lions player, said Paterno?s insistence that his players succeed off the field was the driving force behind starting the cancer fundraiser Lift for Life, which is run each year by the team.
When Joe Paterno told his father he thought he would make a go of a coaching career instead of pursuing law school, his dad had a single request:
Standing at the pulpit beside two paintings drawn by Scott Paterno?s sons ? one of his grandma?s crying heart, drawn by Paul Angelo, and another of ?grandpa?s shoes? drawn by Jack ? Scott Paterno told the crowd he had lost his faith when his father was fired in November and his parents were vilified as part of the unfolding scandal at Penn State.
Scott Paterno said he watched Joe and Sue Paterno gracefully handle the situation that unfolded in the three months following the arrest of former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky on child sex-abuse charges. But it wasn?t until his father died with no anxiety or fear that his son?s faith was restored.
?I?m sure Joe Paterno would be the first to say he was not perfect, and, like all human beings, had his flaws and failures,? the Most Rev. Joseph P. McFadden, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, said in his homily. ?But when he looked in the mirror, his was an image he was comfortable with.
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I'm sure that was meant as sarcasm, but if you don't know how significant he was in the lives of many, and the difference he made in the lives of many, then you're just plain ignorant.
Can we PLEASE let this man rest in peace? He's been dead for how long now and we're still having service after service after service. Regardless of what you thought of his life - ENOUGH ALREADY.
Parents are burrying their children who fought and died for our freedom and they hardly get mentioned. Lets keep this whole thing in perspective.
Where were all you guys when the media and your attention, focus, blame, defamation, destruction, and slandering was all on Paterno. and PSU instead of the obvious Second Mile, Sandusky, Pa Child Protection, Pa Dept of Welfare, Pa social workers etc? Why were you not clamoring for more attention for these servicemen who lost their live then? You couldn't get enough of the shaming, conspiracy theories, ridicule, sensationalism, public censure, blatant lies etc if they showed Paterno in a negative light and forgot all about those servicemen, but when Paterno is remembered in a positive manner you suddenly are OD'd on Paterno and start remembering the servicemen.
Hmmm. Kind of like all the "Joe's Gotta Go" people chanting a few years ago. Guess they forgot all the amazing stuff he did when the football team really started losing. What changed their minds? Oh, winning football seasons. Yeesh.
Those who quit watching during the losing season are complaining because many continued to watch. Then they complain because they can't watch teams they never watched in the first place nor will in the future. Just change your channel; not mine.
Chill. These Penn State/Paterno articles will continue until the next MAJOR news in the region breaks...the local churches filling fastnacht orders.
The official word is lung cancer killed former Penn State Coach Joe Paterno. It took 65 days for metastatic small cell carcinoma of the lung to work its way through his body. And yet, it's another organ that is dominating the news of the fallen coach's demise. The heart.
How could it not? You can love JoePa or you can hate him. But for 62 years -- right up until November -- he was a member of the coaching staff at Penn State. That's a bona fide record in college football, but it's also an incredible accomplishment. How many people do you know who have risen each morning and gone to work at the same place, to do the same job, for 62 years? At some point, it ceases to be a job and becomes one's lifeblood.
Yes, technically it was the lung cancer that killed JoePa. But it's no surprise that his colleagues today are saying he died of a broken heart. As Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said, ?The emotional turmoil of the last few weeks might have played into it.? Former Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden went even further about his one-time adversary. ?You can die of heartbreak. I?m sure Joe had some heartbreak, too,? said Bowden.
Governor Corbett engineered his death by making sure Joe was fired in the worse way possible. the election is 2014, and we shall put out Bumper Stickers, "REMEMBER JOEPA VOTE OUT CORBETT"!