Carla Wyckoff (Neuschel) has advised us of the recent passing of our beloved classmate on March 23, 2025. We will post Joe's obituary once received from his wife Sheri. Please remember all the memorable interactions we have cherished with Joe while growing up and over the years since. Our prayers and deepest sympathy are with the family.   

Sheri’s loving memory . . .

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of Joseph Michael Farago (class of ‘66), on March 23, 2025. 

Joe fondly reminisced about good friends and good times at Lake Forest High School.  Whether it was theater, swimming, singing, and gathering with many of you after school with his parents, Peter and Jackie, and siblings Peter, Mary Jo and Catherine.  When speaking of those years in Lake Forest, Joe always smiled.  After High School, Joe graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in journalism, spending over 45 years working in the field of communications, with experience in radio and television news, public relations, and mass marketing. 

That said, Joe’s career-journey was never static.  He will be remembered for the extraordinary side-trips in his career that included roles as actor, stuntman, ski instructor, and a mentor to many people he met along the way. 

He enjoyed acting in movies such as The Terminator, and The Abyss, various sitcoms and commercials, as well as having his own comedy special on HBO.  Always searching for new explorations, he called the mountains of Colorado and Idaho home, as well as California, Florida and the family cabin on the shores of Lake Superior.  But no matter where you found him, he was always looking to contribute to his community.

After volunteering for a fire department in Sandpoint, Idaho, Joe found his true calling for firefighting and emergency response.  When asked why he left Hollywood to become a firefighter, Joe simply responded, ‘Well, I never pulled up to a burning building and had someone say, “Thank God, an actor showed up!”’   

As a proud member of a Type II incident management team, Joe was deployed to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and served as PIO on several large western wildfires.  He used these experiences to instruct others, teaching at the Florida Fire College and as a member of the Management Institute instructor team where he taught the very first Master Public Information Officer course and was involved in the pilot programs for FEMA.

Joe had a quest for adventure, his worn TravelPro suitcase never staying in the closet long.  He navigated over 40 countries, racking up nearly 2 million air miles and gathering experiences and dear friends along the way.  But he also loved spending quiet times, beach strolls, and treasured adventures with his wife, Sheri, and dog, Rudy. 

Those who knew Joe would say he truly wanted the best for everyone he met, because he felt he met them for a reason.  He would cheer us, with the burst Italian spirito and regale us with the humor and storytelling of the Irish—but one thing was certain—a truer friend could not be found. 

Always an optimist and believer, the last quote Joe shared with Sheri, was penned by Louis L’Amour:

“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished.

That will be the beginning.”