Health educator leaves legacy
Jan. 12, 2004

By ELIZABETH COOPER
Observer-Dispatch

Without fail, one of the first things people say about JoAnn Nora is that she always had a smile on her face.

Nora, who spent 14 years as Oneida County's public health educator, passed away unexpectedly Dec. 17, apparently of an embolism, family members said. But those who worked with her say her prodigious efforts to educate county residents about how to better care for their health will live on.

"The vast array of relationships, the people she knew, the groups she was involved in, that's going to be difficult to replace," county Public Health Director Eric Faisst said. "(Her success) had everything to do with her personality."

Faisst said Nora made the hard work of public health fun.

"I don't think there was a time we didn't laugh when I talked to her," he said.

Nora received numerous awards from health organizations recognizing her contributions to the field, including the New York State Department of Health, the American Cancer Society and St. Elizabeth's Alumni Association.

Faisst, friends and coworkers noted her grant writing and coordination of numerous programs, including ones that brought mammograms and cervical cancer screenings to low-income women, promoted heart health, provided car seats to poor families and taught high school students how to avoid injury.

"We called her the Energizer Bunny," said Robert Elinskas, community director for the American Cancer Society and board president of Smoke Free Mohawk Valley. "She was always going somewhere or doing something."

Again and again, those who knew Nora refer to her lively, giving personality.

"She was always smiling, no matter what she was going through," said Bea Allison, the county's director of community wellness, who knew Nora for more than 35 years.

Allison and others also noted Nora's dedication to her field.

"She was very compassionate," Allison said. "She worked so hard for the community."

Filomain Talerico, another long-time friend who is now trauma and emergency preparedness coordinator for St. Elizabeth Medical Center, said the same.

"She was so kind and so caring," Talerico said. "She really believed in what she was doing and believed she made a difference."

Another long-time friend, Kathy Russo, the project coordinator for the colorectal/prostate screening program at Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare, said Nora volunteered countless hours outside her regular work schedule, even teaching health education at a local prison.

"She wanted no one to go undiagnosed with cancer," Russo said.

Nora, 60, is survived by two children, Deborah, 35, and Carl, 26. Deborah Nora works in a forensics laboratory in the Syracuse area and Carl Nora is studying to become a firefighter. Both say their mother's compassion and dedication inspired them.

"People always looked to her," Deborah Nora said. "They called her before they called their doctors. They trusted her. She was always helping people."