PALIKIR, POHNPEI. SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 – With profound sadness, the Office of the Speaker announces the passing of former President and seated Senator Joseph John Urusemal who devoted close to 40 years of his life in service to his Nation as a representative of his beloved home State of Yap, in the Government and the Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia.
The late Senator Urusemal passed away on the evening of September 16, 2025, while undergoing treatment at the Palau National Hospital. He was 73 years old. While Satawal atoll in the State of Yap has been designated for the burial ceremony, the exact date of repatriation and funeral details are currently being ironed out by the family.
The late Senator Urusemal was a humble man who dedicated most of his life in service to the people of the Nation. Since his election to the Congress in 1987, the late Senator Urusemal had been instrumental in guidance and direction of the nation through policies and his unwavering principles deeply rooted in culture and traditional values. Principles that defined his commitment to the roles entrusted to him by the Nation whether as a Senator or a President, the late Senator Urusemal dedicated himself to the development and betterment of the FSM and its people.
Born March 19, 1952, on the island of Woleai in the State of Yap, the late Senator Urusemal was determined from a young age to make a difference and began by graduating from Xavier High School in the State of Chuuk. He continued to Rockhurst College in Kansas City, Missouri where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Administration of Justice in 1976 and for the next six years applied it as an employee of the Jackson County Corrections Department in the State of Missouri. In 1982 he returned to Yap where his legacy of service to the Nation was born. The late Senator Urusemal started with the Yap State Department of Education as a Teacher and Counselor to the Outer Islands High School and helped establish the department’s Five-Year plan for the state.
In 1987, the late Senator Urusemal was elected as the at-large and four-year representative of Yap State to the Fifth Congress and for the next 38 years dedicated himself to doing just that – a representative of the people. Within four years, he was selected Floor Leader of the Seventh Congress in 1991 and maintained his role until 2003. On May 11, 2003, he was elected the Sixth President of the FSM. He completed his term and returned to the 15th Congress and took over the Chairmanship of the Committee on Health Education and Social Affairs. In 2009 when Education became its own committee, the late Senator Urusemal assumed the Chairmanship and maintained it until his passing. Chairman of ‘E’ is what Urusemal is fondly referred to by all who knew him well. He was a man of integrity and honor, a man grounded in deep patriotism to his Nation and a man who valued traditions and culture.
The late Chairman of ‘E’, was admired by his colleagues for his meticulous attention to details – even the smallest ones, as part of getting things right from the start. He was especially respected by his colleagues for his courage to stand on his beliefs, even if he stood alone on the opposite side. Urusemal was a man of deep faith that carried his responsibilities with quiet strength and the dignity. The Nation has lost a true Statesman.
The late Senator Joseph John Urusemal is survived by his wife Olania Latileilam of Satawal island and their children – Robert J. Marolfal, Tarsis Raffilug, Craig Erhienig, Spencer Osomai, Elenita Laenirhlur and Rhonda Lauwelig.
The Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia extends its most heartfelt condolences to the family, the people of the great State of Yap, and all those in the Nation and beyond its borders who were touched by his life and service.