Joseph L. Laurenti, PhD, 92, of Bloomington, died on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at his home on hospice care.
Visitation for Dr. Laurenti will take place at Holy Trinity Church at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 11, followed by Mass of Christian Burial, officiated by Fr. Jeffrey Stirniman, at 11 a.m.. Entombment will be at East Lawn Memorial Gardens after mass with a reception to be held in the funeral home.
Dr. Laurenti was born Dec. 10, 1931 in Hespérange, Luxembourg, to the late Ernesto Carlo and Angelina Teresa Dal Canton Laurenti. His early childhood in Luxembourg and in Genoa, Italy was marked by the early death of his mother of natural causes and by the traumatic death of his father, who was killed in the resistance in Luxembourg. His sisters were killed in a bombing of their grade school. Dr. Laurenti was rescued from a work camp by the French resistance. These are some of the many sad events that impacted his childhood, but were very seldom discussed by him.
Dr. Laurenti immigrated to the United States in 1948, at the age of 16 on the Queen Mary, landing at Ellis Island. He made his way to Hillsboro and Irving to live with his uncle, John Dal Canton, where he completed high school in 1952.
Dr. Laurenti served in Frankfurt, Germany during his enlistment in the U.S. Army from 1952, where he was a military policeman working as a language specialist. There he became naturalized as a U.S. citizen, fulfilling his lifelong wish to join the country that liberated Europe where he suffered great misfortunes himself as a child.
After serving, he graduated B.A. (LAS) from University of Illinois with honors in 1958. He received his M.A. in Spanish, Italian and German at University of Illinois in 1959, where he earned one year of residence credit toward his doctoral studies. He received his PhD in Spanish, French and German at University of Missouri in Columbia in 1962. Dr. Laurenti, was professor emeritus of foreign languages at Illinois State University where he enjoyed a long successful teaching career from 1962 until his retirement in 2001. From 1959 until 1962, Dr. Laurenti was an instructor of Spanish at the University of Missouri, Columbia, MO. He taught Spanish as an instructor at University of Illinois in 1959. He received many distinctions recognizing his extensive contributions to the literature, including research in the picaresque novel and literature of the Golden Age. He was an active figure in the university community at ISU.
Dr. Laurenti married Luellen Watson in June of 1967 in Bloomington. His wife’s young death in 2001 impacted the ISU community as well as the political community of Illinois. Mrs. Laurenti had spearheaded women’s studies at the university, was president of the National Organization for Women, active in politics at all levels. The couple were a visible duo and extended their love and hospitality throughout the community of great stature, herself, whose legacy ISY scholarship accompanies the endowments of both Joe and Luellen Laurenti.
Dr. Laurenti’s personal legacy was one of a soft and easy friendship with lifelong links to former students and friends, including Jim Chrisman and Dick Menapace, his high school buddy. Included among community friends is Khaled Mona. He embraced colleagues and collaborators, his mentor, Alberto Porquieras-Mayo, his students and finally, his loving caregivers, Allison Pfister, Allison Schmitgall and Tami Schmitgall.
Memorials in Joe’s honor may go to the following ISU foundation funds:
Ana Maria Parent giving.illinoisstate.edu/funde/ana-maria-f-parent-scholarship
Nursing: giving.illinoisstate.edu/fund/mennonite-college-of-nursing-endowed-transcultural-fund/
