The Syosset Fire Department (SFD) mourns the passing of Honorary Chief Joseph Hoda. Joe, as he was known around the firehouse, was a member of the SFD for seven decades, passing away just three days before the 70th anniversary of his appointment to the department.

Joe was born in Westbury in 1919, one of six children of Max and Theresa Hoda. The family moved in 1925 to a house on Roosevelt Avenue in Syosset when Joe was still a child, and also lived on Walters Avenue. He would start his own family on Underhill Avenue, where he was often seen sitting on his porch or doting over his manicured lawn and garden.

As a young man, Joe was a very talented baseball player, playing with a local team called the "Tessoys" (Syosset spelled backwards) and earning a weeklong tryout with the Yankees in the Bronx as a left-handed pitcher in 1939. He would later put his athletic talents to good use as a member of the fire department's drill team - the Nightraiders.

In addition to his brothers Wes and Max, both of whom were also Syosset firemen, many of Joe's childhood friends from the neighborhood would also become his 'Brothers' in the fire department and teammates on the drill team, including Henry "Muzzy" Marzola, John "Smitty" Smith, Paul "Pucky" Yura, Carl Gianino, Bobby Brutsch and Peter Morely.

Joe was a dedicated fireman for 70 years, serving as Lieutenant and Captain of the Fire Police unit and earning the high honor of being named an Honorary Chief. SFD Ex-Chief John Farraday grew up down the street from Hoda and considered Joe instrumental in inspiring his own career in the fire department. "I remember as a teenager, looking out my living room window when the fire whistle would blow and before the siren even stopped, Joe was dashing across his porch heading to his car to get to the firehouse," said Farraday.

The fire department would also indirectly lead Joe to the love of his life, his wife Gina. Joe met Gina at the wedding of SFD Ex-Chief Paul Thiergardt, whose wife was Gina's cousin. They eventually married and shared their lives for 58 years, raising three children: Richard, Joseph (Pat) and Janet, and were blessed with seven grandchildren: Lisa, Anthony, Joseph, Richard, Christopher, Andrea and Steven.

In addition to serving his community as a fireman, Joe also served his country in World War II, with assignments in Italy and North Africa, and was a recipient of the Purple Heart. Back in town, Joe would continue serving his fellow veterans and his neighbors as a founder of the Syosset VFW Post and a founding parishioner at St. Edward's Church, where he also served as an usher.

Joe worked in construction and was involved in a number of key civic projects, including the building of low income housing in Brooklyn and Queens and the construction of a number of the bridges and overpasses on the Northern State Parkway, including the bridge that brings traffic from the LIE at exit 42 onto the Northern State.

In the early 1960s, Joe suffered a severe leg injury when a concrete bucket snapped from a crane at a job site and pinned Joe's leg. This led him to leave construction and join the Town of Oyster Bay's Parks Department, where he was assigned to the Syosset-Woodbury Park. Joe would serve there for 20 years, retiring in 1985 as Assistant Manager at the park.

Joe would go on to a third career as a firehouse maintainer for the Syosset Fire District, a job he held until 2005, when he retired for the third and final time at age 86. Colleagues at the fire district said one of his favorite jobs was polishing the large conference table in the Board room to a high luster every couple of weeks.

While Hoda held many jobs and titles in his life, the one he and his family loved most was "Poppy Joe." Joe's daughter Janet said, "He loved to have his family around as well as friends and neighbors, creating an extended family and making our home a focal point of many get-togethers. His door was always open, the beer was always cold and the food plentiful. He had a great sense of humor, and always had a smile for everyone. We love and miss him very much."