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December 24, 2011
Services
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 31st, 2011 at 10 AM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Friday from 3-7 PM.
Joseph Labazzetta “Joe” age 87 of Wayne died Saturday, December 24, 2011 at the Veterans Nursing home in Gallatin, Missouri the day before his birthday which was on Christmas Day. His passing was graciously peaceful after at difficult battle with his health.
He was born and named Guiseppi Labazzetta in Brooklyn, New York and spent his childhood years in Newark, NJ and Wayne. He grew up speaking only Italian, he learned English in Catholic School As was the case in those years he had to go to work and help support himself and his family. He left school in the seventh grade and began his work life. His first job, as a teenager, was as in a slip factory and a fedora hat factory in Newark then he went to work for a tailor sewing and ironing men’s trousers. When he lived in Wayne he worked for Strawberry Blossom Farms.
Later he took a job as a stone mason with Ruffalo Brothers in Little Falls until 1958 then at Jon Construction Company in Saddle Brook and was responsible for building many area homes. His tenure at Jon Construction Company was from 1958 till his retirement in 1985 after receiving a very serious knee injury.
He lived on Warren Street in Newark before he joined the Army during World War II and was a member of a Tank and Howitzer Cannon crew. He served under General George Patton in the North African Theater, and later in Europe where Joe fought at the Battle of the Bulge, the Black Forest in Germany as well as taking part in the Normandy invasion. He was often called on to be the camp cook because of his innate Italian cooking skills. He was wounded with shrapnel and carried small metal pieces in his body the rest of his life. He received a Purple Heart. His Army service career spanned from 1943- 1945.
He was a proud gentle Italian man & proud of his heritage, that he passed on traditions to his children. He enjoyed playing the guitar which he played by ear because he never learned to read music.
Joe’s construction experience and ambition over the years, benefited himself as well as other family members as he built his own home and that of his children.
He was gifted with a friendly outgoing nature that was always enthusiastically reaching out to others in their time of need.
After returning from war Joe lived on Ford Street in Wayne and he met this pretty girl named Catherine Anderson, who lived a block away on Newark Pompton Turnpike. Love blossomed and they married on April 30, 1949. They had fifty six years of “loving and devoted” marriage until Catherine’s passing on March 8, 2005.
His children share that he was an “awesome father”, a hard working man and a wonderful provider for his family. He made it a practice to teach his children skills. He was also a talented Italian cook making all of his own sauces and providing Sunday meals at his home for his whole family. When he was not working he would spend his leisure hours sitting in the sun and would always have a wonderful sun tan.
Thanks Dad for being so special in our lives.
Surviving to mourn the loss of this wonderful father, grandfather and great grandfather are one son Dennis Joseph Labazzetta and his wife Ingrid of Gallatin, Missouri; four daughters Catherine Linda Stalter and her husband Gary of Los Osos, California, Joann Landspurg and her husband Randy of Slingerlands, New York, Patricia R. Mastromonico of Sparta and Nanci A. Turner and her husband Barry of Wayne; also survived by ten grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
He was predeceased by one granddaughter Chrystie Jo Landspurg in 2008 and a great grandchild Karly Ison in 2001.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 31st, 2011 at 10 AM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Friday from 3-7 PM.
December 24, 2011
Services
Funeral services will be held Saturday, December 31st, 2011 at 10 AM at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne. Friends may visit with the family at the funeral home on Friday from 3-7 PM.
Joseph Labazzetta “Joe” age 87 of Wayne died Saturday, December 24, 2011 at the Veterans Nursing home in Gallatin, Missouri the day before his birthday which was on Christmas Day. His passing was graciously peaceful after at difficult battle with his health.
He was born and named Guiseppi Labazzetta in Brooklyn, New York and spent his childhood years in Newark, NJ and Wayne. He grew up speaking only Italian, he learned English in Catholic School As was the case in those years he had to go to work and help support himself and his family. He left school in the seventh grade and began his work life. His first job, as a teenager, was as in a slip factory and a fedora hat factory in Newark then he went to work for a tailor sewing and ironing men’s trousers. When he lived in Wayne he worked for Strawberry Blossom Farms.
Later he took a job as a stone mason with Ruffalo Brothers in Little Falls until 1958 then at Jon Construction Company in Saddle Brook and was responsible for building many area homes. His tenure at Jon Construction Company was from 1958 till his retirement in 1985 after receiving a very serious knee injury.
He lived on Warren Street in Newark before he joined the Army during World War II and was a member of a Tank and Howitzer Cannon crew. He served under General George Patton in the North African Theater, and later in Europe where Joe fought at the Battle of the Bulge, the Black Forest in Germany as well as taking part in the Normandy invasion. He was often called on to be the camp cook because of his innate Italian cooking skills. He was wounded with shrapnel and carried small metal pieces in his body the rest of his life. He received a Purple Heart. His Army service career spanned from 1943- 1945.
He was a proud gentle Italian man & proud of his heritage, that he passed on traditions to his children. He enjoyed playing the guitar which he played by ear because he never learned to read music.
Joe’s construction experience and ambition over the years, benefited himself as well as other family members as he built his own home and that of his children.
He was gifted with a friendly outgoing nature that was always enthusiastically reaching out to others in their time of need.
After returning from war Joe lived on Ford Street in Wayne and he met this pretty girl named Catherine Anderson, who lived a block away on Newark Pompton Turnpike. Love blossomed and they married on April 30, 1949. They had fifty six years of “loving and devoted” marriage until Catherine’s passing on March 8, 2005.
His children share that he was an “awesome father”, a hard working man and a wonderful provider for his family. He made it a practice to teach his children skills. He was also a talented Italian cook making all of his own sauces and providing Sunday meals at his home for his whole family. When he was not working he would spend his leisure hours sitting in the sun and would always have a wonderful sun tan.
Thanks Dad for being so special in our lives.
Surviving to mourn the loss of this wonderful father, grandfather and great grandfather are one son Dennis Joseph Labazzetta and his wife Ingrid of Gallatin, Missouri; four daughters Catherine Linda Stalter and her husband Gary of Los Osos, California, Joann Landspurg and her husband Randy of Slingerlands, New York, Patricia R. Mastromonico of Sparta and Nanci A. Turner and her husband Barry of Wayne; also survived by ten grandchildren and ten great grandchildren.
He was predeceased by one granddaughter Chrystie Jo Landspurg in 2008 and a great grandchild Karly Ison in 2001.
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