Our family is very sad to announce the passing of Joseph Linguanti. He is survived by his beloved wife Shelley, son Giorgio (Tasha), son James, daughter Carmen (Gavin), and grandchildren Leonardo, Donna, Mary, Caleb and Finn. He is also survived by sisters Joanna, Frances, and Nina (Dennis), numerous nieces and nephews and extended family in Canada and in Europe.
Joe was born in Belgium to Sicilian parents. His family immigrated to Canada and settled in Kitimat, where his mother and father worked hard to make a good life for their six children. There, the children all went to school, played sports, worked, and made lifelong friends. Joe moved to Victoria in the early 1970’s to attend university and earned a degree in Math and Computer Sciences. After completing his degree Joe was offered a job at the Institute of Ocean Sciences where he spent his entire career. He loved his job and the many duties he was assigned, especially latterly where he worked both nationally and internationally. Of course, being Joe, he made friends all along the way and kept in touch with many.
Joe was passionate, opinionated, honourable and loyal. His deep voice, his presence in a room and his strong desire to bring people together will be missed by all who knew him.
A Memorial will be held in the Sequoia Centre at McCall Gardens, 4665 Falaise Drive, Victoria, BC V8Y 1B4 on Friday, May 15th, 2026, at 2:00 pm. A reception will follow.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
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25 Responses
Like so many Kitimat folks, my relationship with Joe goes back to high school years. I fondly remember our times together with “the boys” and the sometimes questionable things we would do, all in the name of good fun. I went to BCIT and Joe went to UVic, but this didn’t keep us apart as we were only a ferry trip away. Friends for life, and beyond. Rest in Piece my friend, we shall meet again.
Joe was a dear friend. At IOS he was always approachable, happy to help and a great source of knowledge on data management and processing issues. He got along easily with people and was a facilitator, traits that made him a valuable member of the numerous local, national and international committees that he served on in his career. Outside work, I enjoyed his company curling, golfing and for the past several years, having regular Tuesday breakfasts at the Five and Dime in Sidney with Bill, Ken and Willie. Our ramblings on family activities, politics (Joe’s favourites were the state of the BC and federal Liberal parties, and of course Trump), sports (the Canucks, Blue Jays, the latest golf tournament or NFL football game on TV, and the under-achieving Italian national soccer team) were always lively and enjoyable. I will warmly remember his smile and hearty chuckle.
I extend my sincere condolences to Shelley and all his family. He will be missed.
I am so sorry Shelley, and to your family to hear of Joe’s passing. I met Joe when I first started working at IOS in the early 1980s. I always enjoyed talking with him, and he showed much interest in the things I did. We also played together on the Mariner’s ball team through work, and he was such a great baseball player. I really have fond memories of Joe, and I am so glad that I knew him. Again, my deepest sympathies to you. I am sorry but I will not be able to attend the Memorial, as I will be away for my work all of that week.
I was sorry to hear of Joe’s passing and I offer condolences to the Linguanti family and friends. I worked with Joe at the Institute of Ocean Sciences and always found him friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, thoughtful, and kind. I liked how he would often say, “If you find a problem with the ocean data, let me know.” If there were problems, he wanted to fix them. I ended up assuming his position when he retired and he helped me transition into that role. I regret that I’ll be out of town and will miss his service. He was a great guy.
My sincere condolences, Shelley, Giorgio, James, Carmen and your families. May your love as a family support you at this very sad time. Cherish the many memories going forward.
We are so sorry to hear of Joe’s passing. We enjoyed spending time with Joe making sausages in November, at Canada Day festivities, and every time we got together, because Joe was an enabler of fun and good times. We know he will be sorely missed by his family and his many friends. He was kind and generous and will live on in our memories, like the time during Covid when he showed up at our door bearing a large freshly made sausage as we were not all able to make it together that year. Our thoughts are with Shelley and all the Linguanti family.
Joe’s huge heart always had room for more and more. I feel so lucky to have a place there and he in mine…and it will be so, always. The dearest friend. Love to all his family and friends everywhere who share in this sad time. I am very sorry that I have a previously planned memorial to attend of a close family friend, same day same time. I will miss seeing and meeting the Linguanti clan and all of our mutual friends. I love families and old friends. Sincerely, Patricia Kimber
My heart goes out to you and your family. Just remember he will always hold a spot in your hearts. Big Hugs
Our sincere condolences to Shelley and all the family. Joe was kind, trustworthy and fair-minded. He was a wonderful friend to Diane and I. We are deeply saddened by his passing.
I expected to write something the moment the obit popped up, but it is so hard to know what to say, Joe had so very many positive features. I chatted with quite a few people who worked with him at the Institute of Ocean Sciences, good humour, pleasant, smart all cropped up as descriptors, but the one descriptor that cropped up time after time again was “integrity”. As a one-time manager I occasionally had to convince him of something, but then he was on your side. An it was essential always to have Joe Linguanti on your side. He was a good man who worked well and managed people well. I cannot say that this new was a surprise, a small group of us were well aware of his slow decline, but that knowledge was not enough to prevent sadness and tears at Howard & Germaine’s home. We miss you Joe.