Joseph Macchiarelli

Joseph Edward Macchiarelli, age 91, of Wayne passed away peacefully on October 02, 2019 with family by his side.

Joseph was born in 1929 to Giuseppe and Rosina Macchiarelli. The youngest of six, he spent his childhood in Paterson, NJ. At a very young age he met Dolores Panico, who was a graduate of Eastside High School.  He enlisted in the Navy at first chance and was stationed in San Francisco aboard the USS Biloxi.  Upon return home from the Navy, he was reacquainted with Dolores. They started dating and after a short time, as fate would have it, they fell in love and were married in 1951. Joe pursued auto mechanics, eventually owning his own gas & service station, A&A Service Center, on 20th Ave in Paterson.  He owned this establishment for many years, and even began teaching auto mechanics at Straight and Narrow Rehabilitation Center for the Catholic Diocese.  He would continue for more than fifteen years.  Throughout this, Dolores and he raised six children in Paterson. In the mid-1980s they moved from Paterson to Wayne where they would continue to live there lives together. He touched the lives of many, and always made you feel like his home was your home.

Joseph was a very generous individual, never turning a favor when asked, whether it be to tune-up a car or build someone a deck. He dedicated countless hours to the parishioners of Saint Stephen's Catholic Church & School of Paterson. Dolores and he enjoyed traveling and vacationing with their family, whether it was to their house in Toms River or Upper Greenwood Lake. Miami was also a frequent destination to visit family, as well as, Disney. He spent his days, gardening, finding things to fix around the house, whether they needed fixing or not, and could often be found in his workshop. He was a loving husband, and a dedicated father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Joseph's wife, Dolores, passed away in 2016 after 65 years of loving and loyal marriage. Joseph is survived by John and his wife Alexis of Wayne, Richard and his wife Toni of Pompton Plains, Roseanne Macchiarelli of Beachwood, Dena Macchiarelli and her family (Evelyn Jimenez and Jeavette Jimenez) of Pequannock, Joseph Statuto of Wayne, and John Statuto and his wife Portia of Florence, six grandchildren; Brian and his wife Lauren, Alyson, Taylor, Kimberly, Madison, and Anthony, two great grandchildren; Genevieve, and Margaux.