Dr. Joseph Anthony Shivers

Dr. Joseph Anthony Shivers of Salem, Ohio, died on March 10, 2026, after a long battle with cancer. He was 77. At his side were his devoted wife, Madeline, and their sons, Joseph and Brian.

Born on March 22, 1948, to John D. and Margaret Vietmeier Shivers, Joe was the eldest of eleven children. From an early age he showed a natural gift for leadership and quiet piety, qualities his second-grade classmates at St. Paul School recognized when they voted him “Holiest Child.” He graduated from Salem High School in 1966 and Baldwin-Wallace College in 1970. After working briefly as a night watchman, he discovered his lifelong passion for teaching as a substitute in the Salem City Schools. He went on to teach eighth grade at St. Paul School while earning his teaching certificate from Youngstown State University.

Seeking adventure and service, Joe joined the Peace Corps and served in South Korea from 1973 to 1976. With no prior knowledge of the language or culture, he quickly adapted, teaching English at Pusan National University, earning a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and winning the Korea Herald Prime Minister’s Award in the Korean Language Speech Contest for Foreigners in 1976. Decades later he returned with Madeline and their sons, enjoying a warm reunion with former students who had remained lifelong friends.

Joe and Madeline married on November 26, 1982, at St. Paul Church in Salem. Their partnership was marked by deep mutual belief, shared laughter, and a loving balance between his energetic stride and her appreciation for pausing to enjoy good food. In 1984 they moved to Boston so Joe could study at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he earned a master’s degree in 1985 and a doctorate in education in 1989. He embraced Harvard’s core lesson that for any worthwhile goal there is always a way, often more than one.

As a father, Joe was attentive, warm, imaginative, and playful. He taught his sons to hustle, to reflect, to value excellence, to shake hands firmly, and to do right by others. The family returned to Ohio in 1989, and Joe served as principal at Kirtland High School, East Palestine Middle School, South Side Middle School, and Columbiana High School before joining the Salem City Schools. There he served as Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Middle School Principal, High School Principal, and Superintendent from 2014 to 2019. In retirement he continued his service on the Salem Board of Education and co-owned Dr. Joe’s Learning Center.

Throughout his life Joe emerged as a natural leader in every community he joined. He was elected president of his high school class, president of his college fraternity, co-chair of the Harvard Educational Review, and president of the Ohio Middle School Association. In 2006 he helped establish the Salem High School Class of 1966 Scholarship, and in 2024 he was named the Salem High School Alumni Association’s Honored Alumnus. A competitive athlete who played varsity basketball and ran marathons, he coached with equal passion, always looking out for late bloomers and making sure every child played. To many of his closest friends he was affectionately known as Coach.

Joe loved to read widely and deeply, finding joy and insight in the works of Kurt Vonnegut, Carl Hiaasen, Terry Pluto, and many others. He is remembered by Madeline, Joseph, Brian, his ten siblings, and countless students, colleagues, and friends whose lives he touched with quiet strength, fierce dedication, and genuine care.