Joe Stimola
It is with deepest regret that we need to inform the F2000 Championship Series family, the larger open wheel community past and present, and all racers everywhere that Joe Stimola has taken his last checkered flag and died at 10:30AM Saturday February 13 of complications following open heart surgery in Florida.
What was to be a relatively simple valve replacement last Monday was postponed until Wednesday when it had become a quadruple bypass and a double heart valve replacement. It was further postponed until Friday February 12 and a triple bypass and double valve replacement operation was completed successfully.
The surgery went as planned but he developed severe complications that required re-opening his chest, being put on a respirator due to not breathing on his own, and fluid buildup in his lungs.
Joey was a stalwart as likely to be seen with his SRP Engineering/Penske Shock trailer at a Regional as an ALMS weekend. Of course he attended virtually every F2000 Championship Series race weekend since the first in 2006, and not just doing shock work, also engineering for sometimes several competing teams.
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Remembering Joe: Photo Show - Click Here
Always helpful, always with a well earned opinion, never shy to express said opinion, golf carting around the paddock and observing from corners, Joey was everywhere all the time.
Joey survived Hodgkin ’s disease in the 1980's and has been known to show off the tattoo radiation targets on this chest.
Joe's wife Nancy was very much his partner and very involved with the business as was their son Jamie [James], who has worked with his father for the last several years.
Our deepest sympathy go out to them and all of Joe's family.
Joe will be missed by everyone he knew, and that was just about anyone who was involved in the sport for the last 40 years.
A new website www.joestimola.com has been constructed. Joe was unable to write a book of his life. We are going to help Joe and write the book of his life in and outside of racing. Please share a chapter or picture. There are additional details regarding the trust as well.
The Stimola family will be holding a wake for Joe Stimola on Thursday 2-4 pm, 7-9 pm; Friday 2-4pm, 7-9pm, at the Whitting Funeral Home in Glen Head, NY
Saturday at 11:30 am will be church services at the reformed Church of Locust Valley
http://www.lvrchurch.org/main_page.htm
Afterwards there will be a celebration of life in Joe's honor at the Metropolitan Catering Hall
http://www.themetropolitancaterers.com/landing.html
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