Joe Lando, a successful Corning businessman and former community leader, will be remembered for his charisma and ability to captivate people.
Lando, 83, died Monday, June 15 at the Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pa. weeks after a heart valve surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.
“He was an amazing father to me, my sisters,” said Joe Lando Jr., his son. “He always sets an example for us. He emphasized working hard and you always get good results. That’s what’s driven me throughout my life and all my siblings as well.”
Joe Lando was always proud to be a small business owner in Corning, owning Lando’s Hotel & Lounge for 55 years.
“He got that from his father, my grandfather,” said Lando Jr. “That was instilled in him and his brothers. Not only did they love the business, but they were also very proud of Corning, and it was apparent in the way they did business. Everything was spick and span at Lando’s and he took great pride in that.”
Joe Lando’s brothers, Donnie and Tommy Lando, said they both looked up to their older brother.
“All three of us were very close. We loved each other and still do,” said Tommy Lando. “He was my oldest brother. He was very smart, aggressive and always energetic.”
Donnie Lando also said he always looked up to his older brother Joe Lando.
“I think the love and respect stayed with us because of our upbringing and our parents, Joe and Rose Lando,” Donnie Lando said. “I respected him and loved him, and he did that same thing for me, my brother and the rest of the family because that’s the way we were raised.”
Lando’s ‘personality was second to none’
Donnie Lando remembers getting a call from Joe Lando about buying the old Wilbridge Hotel on Bridge Street and opening Lando’s Hotel & Lounge, which first opened in October 1966.
“He asked me if I wanted to open a bar,” Donnie Lando recalled. “I quickly said yes. I always looked up to my brother. I signed my signing bonus to play baseball in Kansas City for the Athletics and gave Joe the money. He matched that with his money, and we bought Wilbridge Hotel and opened the bar.”
Donnie Lando said once they opened the business, for the next 55 years they were a good team.
“Joe was always involved in several different community functions and community groups,” said Tommy Lando, who also owned bars in Corning. “He was a very smart businessman. He had a great personality. He was a special person. He is going to be missed. I already miss him.”
Joe Costa, owner of Costa Air Service in Painted Post, said Joe Lando had a personality that would draw you in, and you never forgot him.
“We went to high school together and we have maintained a relationship all these years,” Costa said. “We’ve gotten closer reminiscing over the last several years.
“His personality was his strong suit. It was second to none,” Costa added. “He’s the type of guy that the longer you talk to him, he is going to make you laugh. I don’t know any other person that had that type of charisma. He was full of life. I don’t know anyone in my lifetime that commanded that type of respect and notoriety. Once you know Joe Lando, you will never forget him.”
Mickey Graham, a longtime friend of Joe Lando, called Joe the straw that stirs the drink.
“He was just a great guy,” Graham said. “When he was around everybody was having a fun time. He had a great personality. He created conversations.”
Joe Lando was also a very generous man.
“He helped a lot of people out with nothing in return,” Graham said. “He didn’t ask for or expect anything from people. When someone was down and out and needed help, he was there. He got that from his dad who was just like that.”
Lando ‘wanted to make Corning a better place to live’
Hilda Lando, Tommy Lando’s wife, said Joe Lando loved the City of Corning.
“He lived here in Corning all his life, and he wanted to make the city a better place to live,” Hilda Lando said.
Corning City Manager Mark Ryckman agreed.
“Joe was a valued member of our community who was always supportive of the Gaffer District and City Hall and wanted what was best for the people of Corning,” Ryckman said. “He will be greatly missed.”
Joe Lando Jr. said his father had a lot of pride in Corning and being a business owner on Bridge Street.
Terry Smith, owner of Brown’s Cigar Store and a longtime member of the Corning Gaffer District, called Joe Lando a great guy.
“I just heard that he died and it shocks me,” said Smith, who worked on the Corning Gaffer District Board with Joe Lando for nearly 20 years. “He was a very common-sense kind of guy which was sometimes needed on the Gaffer District Board. He will be missed.”
Calling hours will be 4-7 p.m. Friday at Haughey Funeral Home, 216 E. Second St., Corning. Services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home and a celebration of life will also be at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Corning American Legion, 8 River Road, South Corning.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: Joe Lando, longtime business owner and community leader, dies at 83
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Smith, Corning Leader | USA TODAY Network
