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June 22, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, NJ on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 from 7-9 PM and Wednesday, June 26, 2013 from 2-4 and 7:30 to 9:30 PM.
A funeral service will take place on Thursday, June 27, 2013, 10:30 AM at Bethany Church, 568 Wellington Drive, Wyckoff, NJ. Interment will follow at Ocean View Cemetery, Staten Island.
Joseph Nicholas Frisina, age 69 of Wayne, died peacefully on Saturday, June 22, 2013 with his family’s love surrounding him.
Joe was the oldest of three sons born in Brooklyn, NY to Nicholas and Marie Frisina. While growing up, Joe’s father was a superintendent of the Bensonia Arms Apartment Complex in Brooklyn. That place was a handyman training ground for Joe and his brothers Patrick and Nicholas as their father taught them a great deal about compactors, furnaces and 1000 uses for duct tape. One of Joe’s greatest childhood memories was how his dad would lower his younger brother Nick into the incinerator by a rope to clean it. Joe was all too glad that it wasn’t him on the other end of that rope!
Joe graduated from St. Augustine High School in Brooklyn. He went on to earn his BS degree in Physics from Manhattan College, studied astrophysics at the University of Rochester and earned his Master’s degree in Physics from Adelphi University and his Master’s degree in Computer Science from Steven’s Institute of Technology. Joe taught Computer Science courses on the adjunct faculty of Fairleigh Dickinson University and City University New York for 25 years.
During the course of all that education Joe was always searching for the love of his life. He finally met her through, of all things, one of the first computer dating services. It was called Operation Match and, with all of his computer training, his family often quipped that he probably invented the service himself. The lucky girl was Joan Marie Cecala and their first date together was to Manhattan where they saw the movie The Graduate. Joe fell fast for Joan Marie. She fell a little slower but she did fall. They were engaged in July, 1967 and they married the following year on September 21, 1968 at St. Athanasius Church in Brooklyn.
After the honeymoon to San Juan, Puerto Rico they settled in their first apartment in Brooklyn. Joe got a job with BAE Systems of Wayne, NJ and commuted every day to that job from Brooklyn. He soon became the proud father of his little baby girl Melisa. Three years later the family welcomed another child…this time a boy which they named Daniel Joseph. Joe continued to prosper in his career at BAE Systems. In fact, he prospered so much that, by the time he retired on May 17 of this year, he had risen to the level of Manager of Advance Software Technology. During the span of his 45 year career, he was responsible for developing software on advanced communication systems. Most notably, he was the software architect for the initial F-16 Navigation System, the LINK-16 (JTIDS/MIDS), and the AN/ASN-128 Doppler Navigation Software.
While his career was important, central to Joe’s life was his personal relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Joe was on the initial board of trustees of Sonrise Christian Center and the Calvary Assembly of God Church, both on Staten Island. He taught Bible classes at Sonrise and at Calvary AG and also at Oasis Christian Centre in Rahway, NJ. Currently, Joe was attending Bethany Church in Wyckoff, NJ.
Joe had a penchant for sneaking desserts. His son-in-law Roy, who worked with him, remembers the sight of seeing Joe walking down the hall at work enjoying a Klondike Bar. In Joe’s younger years he was a third-degree black in jujitsu and he even once spared (and survived) with Chuck Norris!
Joe had an extreme love and sense of devotion for his family, so it was with heavy hearts that they had to surrender their son and brother Daniel Joseph into the loving hands of his Lord and Savior in 1985. Joe recently wrote his own will. He instructed that it not be open until after his passing. In the will he lovingly wrote that when the rest of his family joins him, they should look for him and Danny in heaven next to the chocolate fountain. In 1988 God gave Joe and Joan Marie another baby boy and they named him Joseph Daniel. Joe loved photography and he loved doing things for his children. He decided to combine those two loves by doing something nice for his daughter Melisa. For her eighth birthday, she wanted to have her party at the roller skating rink. Since Joe was taking a photography class for which he had to submit a project, he decided he would film Melisa’s whole event complete with slides showing her sending out invitations and looking forward to the event well in advance of the big day. Later on in her life, Melisa was driving to the bank to use the ATM machine. Her father was on the same road so he followed her, just to make sure she was safe while making her transaction. Joe gave just as much love and attention to his son Joseph. He loved to accompany his son to his hockey games and once when Joseph and his friends were involved in a band, Joe would drive him there and stay with him wherever the band got a gig. In their own little way, even his grandchildren could testify to what a wonderful grandfather Joe was. Just the other day, little Katie Jane asked, “Who are we going to wake up for breakfast when we go to Grandpa and Meema’s beach house?” Joe would always take them to McDonald’s or to the bakery for mini-pies so that Joan Marie could sleep in. And speaking of Joan Marie, recently Joe had written his own obituary in which he wrote the following about his beloved wife: “He was married for over 44 years to the most exceptional woman, Joan Marie. She is both beautiful and an outstanding counselor for all their years of marriage.”
Joe is survived by his beloved wife Joan Marie; his two children: Melisa Ann Vaccaro and husband Roy, and Joseph D. and wife Elizabeth Frisina; his three adored grandchildren; and his two brothers: Patrick and wife Vincenza Frisina and Nicholas and wife Francine Frisina, both of Staten Island. He was predeceased by his son Daniel Joseph in 1985.
As expressions of sympathy, if friends so wish, donations may be made to the Hackensack UMC Foundation, 360 Essex Street, Suite 301, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Please indicate that your gift is for the John Theurer Cancer Center for Multiple Myeloma in memory of Joseph Frisina.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, NJ on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 from 7-9 PM and Wednesday, June 26, 2013 from 2-4 and 7:30 to 9:30 PM.
A funeral service will take place on Thursday, June 27, 2013, 10:30 AM at Bethany Church, 568 Wellington Drive, Wyckoff, NJ. Interment will follow at Ocean View Cemetery, Staten Island.
June 22, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, NJ on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 from 7-9 PM and Wednesday, June 26, 2013 from 2-4 and 7:30 to 9:30 PM.
A funeral service will take place on Thursday, June 27, 2013, 10:30 AM at Bethany Church, 568 Wellington Drive, Wyckoff, NJ. Interment will follow at Ocean View Cemetery, Staten Island.
Joseph Nicholas Frisina, age 69 of Wayne, died peacefully on Saturday, June 22, 2013 with his family’s love surrounding him.
Joe was the oldest of three sons born in Brooklyn, NY to Nicholas and Marie Frisina. While growing up, Joe’s father was a superintendent of the Bensonia Arms Apartment Complex in Brooklyn. That place was a handyman training ground for Joe and his brothers Patrick and Nicholas as their father taught them a great deal about compactors, furnaces and 1000 uses for duct tape. One of Joe’s greatest childhood memories was how his dad would lower his younger brother Nick into the incinerator by a rope to clean it. Joe was all too glad that it wasn’t him on the other end of that rope!
Joe graduated from St. Augustine High School in Brooklyn. He went on to earn his BS degree in Physics from Manhattan College, studied astrophysics at the University of Rochester and earned his Master’s degree in Physics from Adelphi University and his Master’s degree in Computer Science from Steven’s Institute of Technology. Joe taught Computer Science courses on the adjunct faculty of Fairleigh Dickinson University and City University New York for 25 years.
During the course of all that education Joe was always searching for the love of his life. He finally met her through, of all things, one of the first computer dating services. It was called Operation Match and, with all of his computer training, his family often quipped that he probably invented the service himself. The lucky girl was Joan Marie Cecala and their first date together was to Manhattan where they saw the movie The Graduate. Joe fell fast for Joan Marie. She fell a little slower but she did fall. They were engaged in July, 1967 and they married the following year on September 21, 1968 at St. Athanasius Church in Brooklyn.
After the honeymoon to San Juan, Puerto Rico they settled in their first apartment in Brooklyn. Joe got a job with BAE Systems of Wayne, NJ and commuted every day to that job from Brooklyn. He soon became the proud father of his little baby girl Melisa. Three years later the family welcomed another child…this time a boy which they named Daniel Joseph. Joe continued to prosper in his career at BAE Systems. In fact, he prospered so much that, by the time he retired on May 17 of this year, he had risen to the level of Manager of Advance Software Technology. During the span of his 45 year career, he was responsible for developing software on advanced communication systems. Most notably, he was the software architect for the initial F-16 Navigation System, the LINK-16 (JTIDS/MIDS), and the AN/ASN-128 Doppler Navigation Software.
While his career was important, central to Joe’s life was his personal relationship with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Joe was on the initial board of trustees of Sonrise Christian Center and the Calvary Assembly of God Church, both on Staten Island. He taught Bible classes at Sonrise and at Calvary AG and also at Oasis Christian Centre in Rahway, NJ. Currently, Joe was attending Bethany Church in Wyckoff, NJ.
Joe had a penchant for sneaking desserts. His son-in-law Roy, who worked with him, remembers the sight of seeing Joe walking down the hall at work enjoying a Klondike Bar. In Joe’s younger years he was a third-degree black in jujitsu and he even once spared (and survived) with Chuck Norris!
Joe had an extreme love and sense of devotion for his family, so it was with heavy hearts that they had to surrender their son and brother Daniel Joseph into the loving hands of his Lord and Savior in 1985. Joe recently wrote his own will. He instructed that it not be open until after his passing. In the will he lovingly wrote that when the rest of his family joins him, they should look for him and Danny in heaven next to the chocolate fountain. In 1988 God gave Joe and Joan Marie another baby boy and they named him Joseph Daniel. Joe loved photography and he loved doing things for his children. He decided to combine those two loves by doing something nice for his daughter Melisa. For her eighth birthday, she wanted to have her party at the roller skating rink. Since Joe was taking a photography class for which he had to submit a project, he decided he would film Melisa’s whole event complete with slides showing her sending out invitations and looking forward to the event well in advance of the big day. Later on in her life, Melisa was driving to the bank to use the ATM machine. Her father was on the same road so he followed her, just to make sure she was safe while making her transaction. Joe gave just as much love and attention to his son Joseph. He loved to accompany his son to his hockey games and once when Joseph and his friends were involved in a band, Joe would drive him there and stay with him wherever the band got a gig. In their own little way, even his grandchildren could testify to what a wonderful grandfather Joe was. Just the other day, little Katie Jane asked, “Who are we going to wake up for breakfast when we go to Grandpa and Meema’s beach house?” Joe would always take them to McDonald’s or to the bakery for mini-pies so that Joan Marie could sleep in. And speaking of Joan Marie, recently Joe had written his own obituary in which he wrote the following about his beloved wife: “He was married for over 44 years to the most exceptional woman, Joan Marie. She is both beautiful and an outstanding counselor for all their years of marriage.”
Joe is survived by his beloved wife Joan Marie; his two children: Melisa Ann Vaccaro and husband Roy, and Joseph D. and wife Elizabeth Frisina; his three adored grandchildren; and his two brothers: Patrick and wife Vincenza Frisina and Nicholas and wife Francine Frisina, both of Staten Island. He was predeceased by his son Daniel Joseph in 1985.
As expressions of sympathy, if friends so wish, donations may be made to the Hackensack UMC Foundation, 360 Essex Street, Suite 301, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Please indicate that your gift is for the John Theurer Cancer Center for Multiple Myeloma in memory of Joseph Frisina.
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