Joseph Louis DiCarlo
DiCarlo, Joseph Louis
February 28, 2026
Beloved husband of Barbara (Penders) DiCarlo, loving father of Deborah (Todd) Miller, Catherine (David) Zbieszkowski, Jr., and Thomas (Kirsten) DiCarlo; devoted grandfather of Tina, Tony, Joe, Jay, Sam, Jackson, Andy, Bennett and Julia; predeceased by six brothers and sisters. Brother in-law of Thomas (late Nancy) Penders.
Joseph, a retired Physical Education Teacher in the Cleveland Hill School District, was revered as one of the top tennis coaches in the area for many years, and was inducted into the inaugural class of the Buffalo Tennis Hall of Fame.
Family and friends may call Monday from 4 pm – 8 pm at The Dietrich Funeral Homes, Inc., 2480 Kensington Ave., Amherst. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday at 11:30 am at St. Amelia Church, 2999 Eggert Rd., Tonawanda. Please assemble at Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Western New York Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association at https://www.alz.org/wny. Online condolences may be shared at www.The DietrichFuneralHome.com.
Wonderful man. There are not enough words to express how very sorry I am for your loss. Love and prayers for you all,
Love, Amy Amanda and Kyle 🙏💕
To the DiCarlo Family,
I’m so sorry for your loss. Joe has changed my life for the better in many ways. The day I met him was the day I was finally able to grieve my father’s Passing. He will be missed by many! May God give you strength and comfort through this difficult time!
God Bless you,
Cam
Debbie – Arthur and I want to extend our deepest sympathies on the passing of your Dad. In our later years, we enjoyed many lunches at Canterbury Woods with you Dad and Art Richtand.
We are in Florida for the winter, so we won’t be able to extend personal condolences, but we’ll be thinking of you during this sad time.
Dear Joes family!
Jane and I have had the most wonderful blessing of knowing Joe and all of you as neighbors and friends. Please know our hearts break for you. We too will miss him dearly.
My God bless you all!
Dave & Jane
I am saddened to hear this news. Joe was a good friend and colleague at Cleveland Hill. He was an excellent teacher and coach who sincerely cared about his students. We are all better for having a friend and teacher like Joe.
Mr. DiCarlo, I could never forget you. From your epic intramural games after school to playing Billy Idol on a record while we were exercising or running or whatever…to teaching me what a touchback was when I insisted it was a safety….to always questioning why I wanted to brawl with kids that were twice my size.
You were the best! God bless you, RIP.
Mr. DiCarlo was a fine Gentleman. He was kind to me during my time as a K- 12 1982 graduate of Cleveland Hill
I fondly remember Mr DiCarlo for providing free gymnastic instructions allowing me(and many others) to continue throughout our school years. At one point, he even invited all participants to his home. He treated all students equally – no matter what the talent level. He was a true asset to the teaching world!!!
⸻
Joe and I worked side by side in the gym for 20 years. He taught me so much — how to organize and control classes, and the finer points of gymnastics that only someone truly talented and creative could share.
Long before it was popular, we were playing pickleball in our classes back in the 70s — Joe was always ahead of his time.
He was the ultimate professional, gifted, steady, and inspiring to work with. But beyond the gym, he often spoke with such pride about his children and his lovely wife. His love for his family was always evident.
I am so grateful for the years we shared and the lessons he passed on to me. He will be deeply missed.
Cheryl and I regret that we will be unable to attend the funeral of Joe DiCarlo. We are in Florida and will be here until the end of March.
Joe was a great guy and exceptional tennis teacher who had beautifully flawless strokes. He will be remembered fondly by all in the tennis community.
God bless you always, Joe.
Our Deepest Sympathy to you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and family . Joe was truly loved and respected, a gentleman for sure. He will be sadly missed. RIP Joe. Sincerely Jackie Sullivan and Family.
Our Deepest Sympathy to you. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and family . Joe was truly loved and respected, a gentleman for sure. He will be sadly missed. RIP Joe. Sincerely Jackie Sullivan and Family.
Barb and Family, I share in your loss of such a kind and gentle husband, father and friend. My memories of Joe are multi-layed – as a gymnastics coach at Cleveland Hill, as father of the children and as a wonderful family friend. God bless all of you as you carry on who he was through your lives.
P.S. I am sure Joe and Mom, MJE, have already connected and are planning a CHHS reunion up there!
Mr. DiCarlo was a great guy. Always very positive though. I remember him getting us outside to do calisthenics on the basketball court when it was somewhat cold. Sure woke me up. Very kind and patient with us young guys. He took his time and explained things clearly. I appreciated his attitude and his demeanor towards us and helped further us to become good adults. My condolences go out to his family.