On November 20, 2024, Joseph Petrites showed up outside Escuela de Guadalupe’s doors and, within a few short weeks, left an indelible mark on the school.
“Honestly, when I try to tell people this story, they can’t believe it,” says Escuela’s President, Michelle Galuszka. “It’s surreal and inspiring… and it’s heartbreaking, too.”
The day of Joseph’s surprise visit was quiet in the building, so Marketing Director Janalee Chmel offered to give him a tour of the school. Like an earnest Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Joseph sought to learn as much as he could about this dual-language Catholic school in Denver. He also wanted to practice his Spanish with native speakers.
Standing in the main office before they began, Joseph inquired whether Janalee spoke Spanish – she did not – and he lamented that he really wanted to speak in Spanish during the tour.
Suddenly the school’s principal, Mariella Robledo, popped out of her office.
“Hola!” she said. And the two began conversing rapidly in Spanish. Joseph was delighted.
The Real Reason for Joseph’s Visit
At 85, dressed in a dapper sweater over a collared shirt and tie, Joseph had an earnest desire to learn more about the school. He kept pieces of paper in his pocket with questions he intended to ask, referring to them throughout the tour. Joseph admitted he was astonished at how fluent even the youngest students were in two languages.
Finally, somewhere near the end of the tour, Joseph expressed the real reason for his visit.
“May I volunteer here?” he asked Mariella and Janalee.
“¡Por supuesto!” said Mariella.
“Of course!” repeated Janalee, who introduced him to Escuela’s volunteer coordinator, Zoe Hoekstra.
“Do you speak Spanish?” Joseph asked Zoe.
“Sí!” said Zoe.
A tickled Joseph followed Zoe to her office to learn more about volunteer requirements and scheduling. Within an hour, he was booked to return after Thanksgiving for a full day of service at Escuela.
On his way out of the building, Joseph confessed that he had visited two other Catholic schools that day for tours, but they had informed him that they didn’t have time. He expressed gratitude for the special treatment at Escuela de Guadalupe, especially the personalized tour from the principal.
As he left, Mariella, Janalee and Zoe marveled at the chance encounter with such a sincere gentleman.
Joseph Petrites Shows Up to Volunteer
On December 17, 2024, Joseph returned to Escuela de Guadalupe for his big day of service. He started by accompanying all of the students to mass at Presentation of Our Lady. Again, to his delight, the mass was offered entirely in Spanish.
Throughout the rest of the day, Joseph worked in various classrooms, assisting teachers by sitting in small groups with students as they read. It was clear that he wanted to be immersed in the school culture and experience.
“Around lunchtime, he came to me and asked if he could have a school lunch!” says Director of Philanthropy, Caroline Orr. “We walked downstairs and got him a turkey sandwich on a croissant with mayo. Then he brought it to my office and we ate together.”
She reflects a bit more and says, “I mean… Joseph was all in!”
At the end of the day, Joseph turned in his visitor’s badge and made plans to return on January 6, 2025, which would be the school’s first day back after Christmas break.
A Sad Turn of Events
On Monday, January 6, fresh off of a lovely break, Zoe was waiting to greet Joseph for his volunteer shift. And waiting. When he was about 30 minutes late, she started to worry and decided to give him a call from her office.
Down the hall in Escuela’s business suite, Caroline, Janalee and others sat still with concern, listening to Zoe’s end of the conversation.
“…Oh no… Oh my goodness… I’m so sorry…”
Peeking into Zoe’s office, Janalee and Caroline found Zoe crying, and she whispered, “Joseph passed away!”
From Joseph’s brother, Michael, Zoe learned that Joseph had died suddenly just the day before. Michael was still reeling, of course.
Zoe put Escuela’s President, Michelle, on the phone with Michael and she expressed everyone’s condolences. As she talked more to Michael, Michelle learned that they were struggling to find a place to host Joseph’s memorial.
“You are welcome to host it here,” Michelle said, and Michael said he would consider it and be in touch.
“We were all in shock,” says Michelle. “We had just met this curious, energetic gentleman, and then he was gone. It felt kind of surreal.”
Joseph Leaves a Legacy
Around the same time, the school received notice that it had received a transfer of Amazon stock, but no one reached out to claim that they made the gift. The total of this transfer amounted to one of the largest one-time gifts ever made to the school by an individual.
“As we searched for the donor and kept coming up empty, we started to wonder if it had been Joseph,” says Caroline. “But it just felt too impossible… that this kind man would meet us, volunteer once, and bestow such a large gift on our school… it was almost too overwhelming to believe.”
A phone call to Joseph’s brother, Michael, confirmed the suspicion. The gift came from Joseph and he had initiated the transfer before his death, completely unaware that he would be gone by the time the school received the proceeds.
Michelle takes a deep breath and says, “I know we keep saying this, but it was surreal. It has been really hard to wrap our heads and hearts around this.”
Within a few days, Michael reached out and accepted Michelle’s offer to hold the memorial in Escuela’s gymnasium. It was held on January 31, 2025. Here is an excerpt from Joseph Petrites’ obituary.
Joseph J. Petrites Jr., age 85, of Golden, CO, formerly of Gary, IN, passed away on January 5, 2025.
Joe is survived by his siblings: Virginia, Francie, Janet, Rosemary, Theresa (Hank), Marie (William), and Michael (Paula); sisters-in-law Kim and Anna; and his many nieces, nephews, and good friends.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents Joseph Sr. and Frances; brothers Thomas, Edward, and Vincent; brother-in-law Fred Stamate; sister-in-law Seyem; and nephew Timothy.
Joe’s career in flying started by majoring in aviation technology at Purdue University. Joe enlisted in the U.S. Navy, earning his wings as a naval aviator. After active duty, Joe became a pilot for Eastern Airlines, was at the helm of numerous international and domestic flights, and rose to the rank of Captain. On a January 1978 flight, the nose wheel of a 727 malfunctioned failing to deploy, necessitating an emergency landing. Joe was instrumental in expertly landing the plane using only the rear landing gear, lightly scraping the airplane’s nose along the concrete runway, without injury to passengers.
Joe continued serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve for 21 years, concluding at the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Joe was certified on most every category of powered aircraft, including Boeing 747s and helicopters. He was also a certified air traffic controller. In later years, Joe was a flight instructor, demanding a high level of excellence from his students.
During retirement in Colorado, Joe was a volunteer with various organizations, helping the elderly and those in need. He was especially appreciated for his willingness to tutor children as they developed reading skills.
Joe was a faithful member of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Golden, CO.
“Clearly, Joseph was a remarkable human being and we feel so privileged to have met him,” says Michelle. “I’m quite certain that none of us will ever forget Joseph and his brief yet meaningful time at Escuela.”
