Joseph Vincent Pucciarelli of Oceanport passed away peacefully Oct. 7, 2022. He lived a very full life of 92 years.
He is survived by his wife, Margot Pucciarelli; children, James Pucciarelli, Janine Prekeris (Paul), Margo Pucciarelli Cohen (Jared), and Joseph Pucciarelli (Leah); seven grandchildren, James Vanger, Justin and Jessica Prekeris, Zachary and Celia Cohen, and Amelia and Clara Pucciarelli; siblings, Nicholas Pucciarelli and Margaret Cammarata; and many nieces and nephews.
Joseph was born and raised on Staten Island and later moved to Carteret. He was valedictorian for McKee High School in 1948 and attended The Cooper Union in New York City.
He was a veteran, served as a draftsman in Germany in 1951, and later worked for Corbetta Construction Co. then Fleischer Engineering Co. In 1968 he created his own engineering firm, Relli Rebar, Inc., and worked for 40 years before retiring at the age of 83.
Above all, Joe was a family man and spent the majority of his time with his kids and siblings. He had many interests; among them were Broadway musicals, baseball, football and travel. He had a great voice and was cheerful; he was known to break out into song from any subject matter in a current conversation.
With his strong wit and kind nature, Joe was well-liked by everyone he met. He was very easy to be around, and he gave with all of his heart.
A memorial gathering with a service was held Oct. 13 at Thompson Memorial Home, Red Bank. In lieu of flowers, a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital dedicated in his honor would be appreciated, as he continually supported this organization: stjude.org/donate.
The article originally appeared in the October 20 – 26, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
