Joseph C. Shapiro

ALBANY- Joseph C. Shapiro of Albany, and formerly of Margaretville, Delaware County, passed away Tuesday, July 22, at the age of 93.
Joe lived a long and fruitful life worthy of a movie script and he leaves an enduring personal and professional legacy as well as a private library of at least 4,000 books. It could be said that reading was one of the main contributors to Joe’s longevity. If you buy a book, you buy some time in the future to read it.
Born in Brooklyn on October 18, 1931 to Ida Brody Shapiro and Leon J. Shapiro, Joe lost his mother before he turned five, and his family was forced to navigate difficult circumstances, which saw Joe and his older brother, Marvin, spend several years at the Pride of Judea orphanage in Brooklyn. Joe always recalled the kindness of the orphanage staff and said the years there were some of the happiest times during his early childhood. His father, working several jobs to support the family, would stop by every day to deliver to his sons a Hershey’s candy bar through the gates of the orphanage.
After his father remarried in 1939, the family moved to Rensselaer, where they operated a small grocery store on Broadway. In their free time, Joe and his brothers began methodically devouring the books in the Rensselaer libraries and eventually moved across the river to do the same at the libraries in the capital city of Albany, walking across the railroad bridge that spans the Hudson River. Late into his years, Joe mourned the loss of the John V. L. Pruyn Library, on the corner of Pearl Street and Clinton Avenue, which was demolished to make way for an I-787 interstate on-ramp.
He graduated from Van Rensselaer High School in 1949 and was an alumnus of Cornell University and Albany Law School, Class of 1957. Admitted to the New York State Bar in 1958, he served as an Assistant Attorney General for New York State until 1963 when he moved to Margaretville to work in association with Herman E. Gottfried, Esq., specializing in condemnation law and representing homeowners and businesses around the Catskills. He continued on as a sole law practitioner until his retirement in 1997.
Joe met the love of his life, Patricia (Kirk) Shapiro, an Albany girl, at a ski club mixer, although neither of them skied, and Pat and Joe married on March 25, 1961. They spent 58 years of marriage together until Pat’s passing in 2019, and raised three daughters, Kathleen Shapiro (Eric Bryant) of Delmar; Susan Shapiro of Chicago and Jupiter, Florida; and Kerry (Sergio) Martinez of Delmar.
While raising a family in the Catskills, he served as an Assistant District Attorney for Delaware County from 1975 to 1987 and was president of the Delaware County Bar Association. He also was a trustee of the Margaretville Central School District for 15 years and served as board president. Joe was active in Rotary International, and the family hosted several exchange students during their years in Margaretville.
True to his love of reading, Joe also was a trustee of the Four County Library Association for 14 years. When the time came for the association to buy a bookmobile, he insisted they purchase the largest one the association could afford.
He and Pat moved back to the Capital Region in 1998, where they enjoyed following the educational, athletic, artistic, and theatrical pursuits of their grandchildren.
In addition to his three daughters, he is survived by four grandchildren, Amanda (Martinez) Cohen of Bogota, New Jersey, Lucas Martinez of Brooklyn, Owen Bryant of Albany, and Benjamin Bryant of New
Paltz; and one great grandchild, Sabrina Ripley Cohen. He also leaves behind cherished caretakers and many friends from the Lodge at Avila.
In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his wife, and brothers, Seymour B. Shapiro and Marvin M. Shapiro.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Joe’s family at a memorial service in his honor, Thursday, July 31, 2025 from 10 to 11 a.m., which will conclude with a brief service at 11 am in the Daniel Keenan Funeral Home, 490 Delaware Ave., Albany.
In lieu of flowers, please make contributions in Joe’s honor to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY or Literacy Volunteers of Rensselaer County.
Online condolences may be offered at danielkeenanfuneralhome.com