Joseph and Joanna Gili
Helping others, that is what Joseph and Joanna Gili taught their children. They taught them this lesson by word and by deed, and now their children are taking that lesson to heart and giving back to our community, in honor of their parents.
Joseph and Joanna’s childhood and family roots were quite different. Joseph was the first generation of his family to be born in America. Joanna can trace her American roots back to the 1700’s when the King of England was giving away land grants in Kentucky. However, when they met in college, they quickly fell in love and started on a life-long adventure that would eventually lead them to Washington County and create a legacy that will live on in our community forever.
Joseph was born on September 20, 1914 in Clinton, Indiana of parents who had recently emigrated from Northern Italy. Like many Italians, they moved to the Clinton area to work in the coalmines. Joseph grew up in Clinton, where he was the fullback on the football team, which won four consecutive state championships while he was on the team. Joseph’s parents died before he became a teenager. His father died when he made a return trip to Italy to bury his father, Joseph’s grandfather. His mother died the following year. Joseph always said that she died from a broken heart.
Joanna was born on March 28, 1920 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where her family had lived for generations. A very intelligent and studious young girl, she received double promotions in grade school and high school so that she could enter college at the age of 16.
Joseph and Joanna met at Western Kentucky University. Joanna completed college in three years so that she “could graduate with Joseph” in 1939. They were married prior to graduation, but kept it a secret so that Joseph would not lose his housing on campus. Joseph and Joanna had five children: Joseph Anton, Victoria, James Bradford (Brad), Susannah, and Sarah.
After graduating from college, Joseph had several options, including professional football and medical school; however, he followed his true passion; Education. Still, Joseph and Joanna left an impression at Western Kentucky University. Years later, when their son, Brad, enrolled at the WKU two weeks into the semester, the registrar recognized his name and the President at the time, Kelly Thompson, took him around and introduced him to his teachers. They both remembered his parents.
In 1939, Joseph and Joanna moved to Fulton, Kentucky, where Joseph taught for a year or so and then moved on to Middlesboro. After Middlesboro, Joseph and Joanna moved to Seymour, Indiana where Joanna directed the Girls Club and taught dance. She later taught Physical Education at Brownstown, and was in charge of the Girls Athletic Association, drama, and theatre. Joseph taught woodworking, health, Physical Education and was the football, basketball, and baseball coach. His passion was Industrial Arts. In the summer he taught Driver’s Education and managed the public pool. “They didn’t know how not to work,” commented their daughter, Vicki. Later, Joseph went on to be principal at Crothersville High School for two years.
In 1962, Joseph became the first principal of the newly consolidated West Washington High School and Joanna taught English. Like the other schools, Joseph was a principal at a school that his children attended. Brad remembered, “If we got into trouble at school, it was ten times worse at home. I would wish for a paddling. Instead, we got a long, long lecture.”
Joseph died unexpectedly at the age of fifty-four, leaving Joanna with two girls still at home. Vicki recalled, “With her grief, she just sunk herself into the house that they had just bought. She could have gotten out of buying it, but she didn’t.”
She remodeled the house by herself. Joseph had taught her and all his children the skills necessary to do so. Vicki recalled, “I’ll always remember one of the lessons Dad taught us, ‘If a tool can cut through bone, be especially careful.’” Brad remembered, “Mom rented floor sanders and did all the wallpaper herself. My friends didn’t want to come over because she would find work for them!”
Joseph and Joanna both demonstrated to their children the importance of giving to others. Joanna took others less fortunate into her home. She has donated old cars, given to her church, and donated land for the General Store at the John Hay Center. She has also allowed the center to expand onto her property and allowed an egress.
Joseph also was very generous in a quiet way. Brad attended a high school reunion a few years age. At the reunion, a lady from his class overheard his voice and commented on how much he sounded like his father. She went on to tell Brad that, after her father died, Joseph attended the funeral and later offered to pay her way on the Senior Trip. She didn’t take his offer, but she still remembered his generosity. Brad wasn’t surprised; “They just did things like that on a consistent basis.” Vicki recalled, “At 3:00 in the morning kids would come to our house because they needed someone to talk to. They were never turned away.”
“They were children of the depression,” stated Vicki. “They knew what money they had and spent well. When we worked, half went into the bank and half was to spend.” Brad commented, “On a teacher’s salary, they never had a house payment, never had a car payment, gave generously to others, and helped five kids through college.”
Joanna was a master gardener. “She had raspberries from the property that they had in the ‘50’s in Seymour. She could make the best raspberry jam!” boasted Brad. Joanna was known to stop her car along the road to pick a wildflower that she spotted at fifty miles per hour. “She had a turn-of-the century garden in the back of her house,” stated Brad. “She could make something out of nothing."
Of Joseph and Joanna’s five children, two are working in education and one has served many years on a school board. As summarized by Brad, “Our hearts are in Education. A big part of me wished I never left teaching. I sold out for the income and I don’t know if I would do it again. Had I been teaching all these years, I could see how I have helped people and what I had done with my life. That’s what our parents taught us- it is nice to help others rather than yourself. The good feeling you get lasts a lot longer.”
Sadly, Joanna passed away in July of 2010. As a tribute to their parents, the children of Joseph and Joanna have started a scholarship fund in their honor with the Washington County Community Foundation. This fund will offer scholarships to graduating seniors from Salem and West Washington who intend to pursue a career in education. Now, the memory of Joseph and Joanna, and their spirit of giving, will live on in our community forever. Anyone wishing to contribute to this fund may do so at any time.
