Sylvester “Joe” Fior
Sylvester Joseph Fior Jr., known to many as Joe, died peacefully at home on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Born into the Santa Barbara Italian community to Sylvester and Aldina Fior (Capovilla), Joe attended Franklin Elementary, Santa Barbara Junior High, and Santa Barbara High Schools.
As a boy, he was happy to have the freedom to explore Santa Barbara with his neighborhood friends. The only rule was that he had to be back by dinnertime. Later, he worked in a neighborhood market and helped in the construction and terrazzo work his father did in many homes and buildings in Santa Barbara. After high school, he joined the Navy and was trained to operate a steam engine, then served in the engine room of the destroyer Maddox in Vietnam. On his return, he attended SBCC and UCSB on the GI bill where he discovered his aptitude for mathematics, earning a BA degree in math. He later learned computer programming in the late 1970s, working at Infomag, Sambo’s, Motel 6, the County of Santa Barbara, and finally at UCSB, where he was a systems manager for the last 20 years of his career.
Joe officially began dating Lis Jensen shortly after graduating high school, and after a few of the normal twists and turns of young adulthood, they married in 1971. They had two children, Joey and Jaime, and settled in Goleta where they could afford a home and still be near family in Santa Barbara. Joe and Lis continued to live the values of their immigrant parents, working hard and contributing to their community (and always emphasizing the importance of education to their children), while remaining best friends and true partners. The family enjoyed dinners at Nonni’s (Joe’s mother’s) house, get-togethers with the extended family, and Italian Boot Club picnics. Summer vacations were usually camping and road trips with friends, and they enjoyed taking hikes, bike rides and kayaking together. During this time Joe was very involved with the Dos Pueblos Little League, volunteering as a coach, umpire, and league president.
A lifelong baseball enthusiast, he grew up a devoted fan of the Brooklyn and then LA Dodgers (but became an SF Giants fan when Rupert Murdoch bought the Dodgers in ‘98). The topics on which Joe contained an encyclopedic level of knowledge included baseball, history, movies and actors, and world politics and affairs.
When Lis died in 2007, Joe soon retired and began a new chapter, volunteering at Casa Esperanza and the Sedgewick Reserve. He was eager to try new things and meet new people. He joined the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara in 2010, where he met Carol Schwyzer, his loving companion for the last 16 years of his life. Together, they volunteered with the Freedom Warming Centers and the Care Team at the Unitarian Society, cooked and hosted dinner parties, hiked in the front country, practiced Tai Chi, and played pickleball. Joe could often be seen using his e-bike to get around town. They made numerous Road Scholar trips and took road trips in the West and Southwest, and they enjoyed time with their grandchildren.
Joe will be remembered for his kindness and generosity, honesty and ethics, sense of fairness, straight thinking, wisdom, and humor. He wanted society to work for everyone, and he donated and volunteered his time to bring that about. He was a loving husband, father and grandfather, and a loyal friend. If you knew Joe, you couldn’t help but love and admire him.
Joe was predeceased by his wife, Lis; his nephew, Gary Eckert; and his sister, Mary Lou Eckert (Fior). He leaves behind his daughter, Jaime Fior; his son, Joey Fior (Miranda Ferrer); and three grandchildren: Anabella, Ariel, and Azi, as well as his brother in-law, Butch Eckert; two nieces, two great nieces, a great nephew, and four great-great nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will take place at 2pm on Sunday, August 30 at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara St. A reception will follow.
Donations may be made to the Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara, the Fund for Santa Barbara, or any local organization doing good work in the community.
