02/09/2026
In Loving Memory - Joanne Scaturro
The world has lost one of its brightest lights - Joanne Scaturro was one of the most positive and uplifting persons I have ever met. She was a force of nature - truly a force of love in this battered world and she will be missed by so many who she helped so selflessly. The power of her love and passion for justice continues to flow through our lives, even though Joanne is now at rest. Near the top of the list of things that I hope I never forget is the sound of Joanne’s laugh. It’s bringing a huge smile to my face as I type these words, even though I am typing through tears. I have been struck by how everyone who knew and loved Joanne (and I think those two things are synonymous), through their grief, rush to tell their favorite stories about the wonderful things she did and the joy she brought to so many. That is a fantastic way to be remembered, in my opinion.
Joanne was a founder of FND and she played a crucial role in helping us survive as a young organization and then continue to thrive through the years. She was always a source of wisdom and sage counsel, whether it was dealing with governmental bureaucracy or internal politics in the Board of Directors. My wife, Janis (who Joanne encouraged to apply for the position of Executive Director of FND back in 1995), and Joanne worked together closely and often traveled throughout the state together, reaching out to families and delivering workshops. As they traveled and helped families across the state, they accumulated enough hilarious stories about their journeys to fill a Netflix comedy special.
For our own family, Joanne was there for us through many of our own “firsts” - some good, some not so great - of our journey into the disability community. She shared with us diagnoses, evaluations, first days of school, referrals, IEP meetings, testing - and more testing, and our anxiety and stress of how to be certain that what we were doing for our children was the right path to follow. Joanne was there for Janis and me through it all. If Janis and I disagreed about a particular course to follow, Joanne’s opinion was the deciding factor. She was never wrong and we are so grateful to have had her in our lives at this extremely challenging time when we didn’t know which way to turn.
She loved her family deeply and constantly talked about her parents, her siblings, and their children. After Joanne moved to North Carolina, she stayed in contact, both personally and professionally, and we were fortunate to host her on a number of occasions for more trainings during the day and evenings filled with laughter. I know she made a huge impact in NC, too - many, many times, speaking to colleagues in NC, Joanne would be mentioned at some point - she was like a treasure or secret weapon that our states were so fortunate to share.
FND is proud to have named an award in Joanne’s honor. I’ve attached a photo of her with one of the first award winners, Nelson Perez, from 2023 (photo attached). The formal title of the award is the “Joanne Scaturro Professional Leadership Award”, presented to professionals working in the disability community. The stated purpose of the award is to recognize and celebrate “the contributions of a professional partner who has worked tirelessly to create meaningful, systemic change”. We feel that this encapsulates what Joanne was always doing.
Joanne did not have biological children of her own, but she can count thousands of children across the country as her children. Many literally would not have survived without her and would certainly not have thrived in the way they were able to after their families met Joanne. The number of lives that she touched - and changed for the better - is literally beyond knowing.
A memorial is being planned by her family for May and I understand it will be open to all who wish to attend, in person or virtually. Here is a beautiful tribute put together by her sister, Margaret (https://obituaries.nationalcremation.com/obituaries/raleigh-nc/joanne-scaturro-12727426). Please pause a moment a give thanks that Joanne was sent into the world and that we were fortunate to be here with her. There will never be another like her.
