Joseph Ciccarelli Obituary

Joseph J. Ciccarelli, 94, husband of the late Carmel Ciccarelli, passed into God's care on June 12, 2009. He is survived by his sister Dorothy Paone, of Toms River, NJ; his daughters and their spouses JoAnn and John Greene, Diane Ciccarelli-Clothier and Chris Clothier, MaryAnn and Jeff Krause, Emilia and David Nappi, all of Colorado Springs, CO; his son Joseph Jr. and wife Eileen of Oradell, NJ. Joe has 7 cherished grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren who entertained him till the end. He was born in Jersey City, N.J. Growing up there, he witnessed many changes throughout the century that he would talk about; from watching travel evolve from horse drawn fire wagons, to automobiles, to modern aircraft. He was very inventive and would often be found at his basement workbench creating some kind of useful household gadget. Joe served in the U.S. Navy during WWII on submarines and at the N.T.S. in Newport, R.I. Co. 1040. He was employed by Western Electric in Kearney, N.J. for 35 years as a communications tester. He was a lifelong member of the ATT Pioneers of America and the American Legion, Jersey City, Post No. 0388. Joe's favorite pastimes included growing tomatoes, listening to music, playing the organ, and inventing his own watering cans to keep his plants flowering during the winter. He loved to nap; but, his very favorite pastime was being with his family. Joe kept everyone entertained with his jokes, one liners, and quick comebacks. He loved to laugh, whistle, and sing. Many who knew him found out that, in a fun way, he was quite a “ladies man.â€� He was thrilled by visits from anyone; especially his grandchildren who he loved to hug and tease. Joe's favorite expression and advice, which he freely dispensed to everyone, was, “Keep smiling and laughing and you will not get ulcers.â€� He will be greatly missed by many family and friends as his joyous spirit lives on in all of us. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Joe's honor to either: St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital at [email protected] National Jewish Health, respiratory research at www.nationaljewish.org Visitation, Wednesday, 4:30 - 6 p.m. Shrine of Remembrance. Funeral service, Wednesday, 6 p.m. Shrine of Remembrance “America the Beautifulâ€� Chapel.