Dr. Joseph Michael Corvino

Dr. Joseph Michael Corvino, Jr., 81, of Walla Walla, Washington, died August 4, 2026, at home surrounded by his children.

Joe was born January 28, 1945, in Long Branch, New Jersey, to Dorothy Volmer and Col. Joseph Michael Corvino, Sr. He grew up in Long Branch and also spent part of his childhood in Germany and Washington, DC.

Joe was a lifelong autodidact and, in the truest sense, a Renaissance man. He had an extraordinary curiosity about the world and an eagerness to learn without discernment for the subject matter. Calling his many interests “hobbies” does not do justice to the way he utterly devoured each new activity.

Joe and Carolyn spent much of their life together exploring the outdoors, canoeing, camping, hiking, and birding. Over the years, Joe was an avid hunter, learned taxidermy, tied his own flies for fishing, earned a black belt in karate, learned to read Plato and Virgil in ancient Greek and Latin, and taught himself to play the guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, Irish drums, and whistles. He played in a contra dance band, a Cajun band, and sang Irish folk songs. He was the MC of the local coffee house open mic, and he spent several years perfecting the art of telling children’s stories.

Joe’s greatest source of pride and joy came from being a father and a grandfather. He and Carolyn spent the last decades of their lives spending as much time as they could with their children and grandchildren, driving cross-country multiple times a year to visit them.

Joe is survived by his children, Nathan Corvino and Elizabeth Paesch of Seattle, Washington; Rebecca Corvino and Chris Sahl of Acton, Massachusetts; Michael Corvino of Walla Walla; and Jesse Corvino of Walla Walla; and his five beloved grandsons, Joseph “Hank” Sahl, Elliot Corvino, Charlie Sahl, Oliver Corvino, and Ralph Sahl. He was preceded in death by his wife, Carolyn, and his sister, Margie.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, August 14, at 10:00 AM at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, followed by a graveside ceremony at Mountain View Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of choice through the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home, 315 W Alder St, Walla Walla, WA 99362. Friends and family are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.herringgroseclose.com.