A memorial for Joseph S. Lodato, 78, a Gardnerville resident since the 1960s, will be held at the Minden-Tahoe Airport with date and time to be announced.
Mr. Lodato died June 17, 2000 at his residence. He was born Nov. 21, 1921 in New Orleans, La., to Sam and Mary Lodato. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Frank, in July 1999.
Mr. Lodato moved to California soon after his birth and settled in San Mateo. The area where the family lived is now known as Lodato Avenue.
Along with his father and brother Frank, he was one of the early land developers in the Santa Clara Valley.
Mr. Lodato was a member of St. Gall Catholic Church in Gardnerville.
He joined the U.S. Navy for flight school in 1942, then transferred to the Army Air Corps in 1943 and served as a flight instructor until the end of World War II.
He was exposed to a variety of aircraft in the military and fostered a lifetime love of aviation and was seldom without a personal aircraft for the rest of his life. In 1946 he flew into Minden and fell in love with the area and moved to Topaz in the 1960s to be close to a fair weather airport, and to develop the Holbrook Highlands subdivision.
Among his survivors are his son Craig Lodato of Gardnerville; daughter Linda Bartlett of Ben Lomand, Calif.; brother John Lodato of San Andreas, Calif., two granddaugthers and one great-granddaughter.
To be notified of the memorial, call 266-3438 and leave your name and phone number.
The family requests donations be made to St. Gall Catholic Church, 1343 Centerville Lane, Gardnerville, 89410.
Walton's Douglas County Mortuary in Minden is in charge of arrangements.
