August 29, 1935 – January 21, 2024

Joseph Louis Giacoma was born on August 29, 1935, to Genevieve Carroll and Joseph Anthony Giacoma at the family-owned Central Hotel on Main Street in Park City, Utah. Resident miners filled the hotel lobby and placed bets as to whether it would be a boy or a girl. Lou was a small baby. He was wrapped in a blanket and slept in a dresser drawer.
Lou’s parents moved often between Park City and Salt Lake. He graduated from Park City High School and went on to the University of Utah, where he graduated with a B.A. in Business. Shortly after graduation, he married his high-school sweetheart, Claudia Louder. They had four children: Rick, Joe (deceased), T.J. (stillborn), and Nanette (Peter Feeney), who blessed them with a granddaughter, Genevieve. She will graduate from college this spring. Rick has two foster children, Jayson and Joredon, who called Lou, Papa Lou. Claudia and Lou were married for 66 years.
After college, Lou was a partner in the Larry Pino Conservatory for many years, where he taught accordion and directed symphonic orchestras. During that time, he also returned to school to earn his M.B.A. He left the music conservatory to teach business classes at Westminster College. He was recognized as Rookie of the Year in his first year and Professor of the Year in his fourth year.
Lou left Westminster College and Salt Lake to go to Boulder, Colorado, for a new business opportunity – which ultimately fell through. He then took a job with an investment company managing five banks for a few years. Eventually, Lou went into business and managed Aspen Care Centers in Denver for several years. Later, he became the Business Manager of the First Presbyterian Church of Boulder. This position allowed Lou and Claudia to take a personalized, guided trip through Israel free of charge.
Lou’s next job was as Regional Manager of eight nursing homes in Arkansas, which precipitated a move to Camden, Arkansas, for the next several years. When the Canadian company Diversicare bought the business, Lou was promoted and offered the position of V. P. of Finance for nursing homes in Arkansas and homes in Alabama and Tennessee. That required a move to Nashville, Tennessee. When Diversicare reorganized, Lou and Claudia decided to return to Park City, where they had lived for nearly 30 years. Their home church became St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, where Lou supported Claudia in becoming a deacon and, years later, an Episcopal Priest.
After being diagnosed with CMML (a type of leukemia), Lou and Claudia sold their home in Pine Brook and moved into the Wellington Assisted Living Apartments in Salt Lake City. Lou’s sister, Shauna, and her husband, Tom, live nearby and help support them. Lou died on January 21, 2024. Claudia continues to reside at the Wellington.
Lou was a gentle, caring man who will be greatly missed by many. He will be buried in a family graveside service at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Salt Lake on March 15 at 9:30, and a Celebration of Life will be held on March 16 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Park City at 10:00 where a light lunch will follow.