OBITUARY
THE DEPOSIT COURIER
DEPOSIT, DELAWARE CO, NY
WEDNESDAY, 29 APR 2015

JOSEPH ANTHONY AIELLO, SR.

Joseph Anthony Aiello, Sr., died on Saturday, April 4, 2015 in Crossville, TN, at the age of 95. He was the husband of the late Ruth E. Carson formerly of Big Hollow and father of John Aiello of Third Street, Deposit.

Joe was born on 6 September 1919 in Baltimore, Maryland, the eighth of eleven children born to the marriage of Francesco Aiello and Caterina Romano.

As a very young boy the family moved from Baltimore to Hoboken, NJ and later to Fairview, NJ, where he grew up and graduated from Cliffside Park High School in 1938. He married Louisa L. Palu on 27 Sep 1942 at St. Joseph of the Palisades, West New York, NJ. They had two children; Donna L. and Gary A. Louise died on 06 Aug 1955 in New York City.

Joe served in the U.S. Army Air Corps in World War II, enlisting on 04 Jun 1943 and being honorably discharged on 13 Aug 1945 at Fort George Wright in Washington State.

Joe remarried to Ruth E. Carson of Big Hollow on 09 Mar 1957 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Fairview, NJ, the daughter of Frank Carson and Mamie M. Gardner. Ruth was a widow with two daughters, Donna Marie and Nancy. Together Joe and Ruth had two sons, Joseph A., Jr. and John A.

In 1964, Joe moved the family from Waldwick, NJ to Bowie, MD, where they were involved in the Volunteer Fire Department, DAV, Knights of Columbus, Bowie Boys Club, Bowie Soccer Association, Boy Scouts, and St. Pius X Catholic Church.

He retired from the Department of Defense in 1974 after 32 years of service, during which time he was instrumental in the establishment of the Defense Early Warning system (DEW Line) across Alaska and the Arctic. After retirement he worked for developer Levitt & Sons as a construction superintendent in Crofton and the Pointer Ridge section of Bowie. Then he went to work for his best friend Senator Edward T. Conroy in Annapolis, helping to write bills and working on Veteran’s affairs.

In 1981, he officially retired to Port Orange, FL and then in 1990 they became what are known as “halfbacks”, moving halfway back up north to Fairfield Glade, TN. There Joe was active as a volunteer at Cumberland Medical Center, Habitat for Humanity, the Knights of Columbus and at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, serving as an usher, lecture, and server at daily Mass until he was almost 94. Ruth died on 27 Apr 2003 and Joe remained in his home in the Glade until his death.

He is survived by three daughters: Donna L. Pascrell of Clifton, NJ, D. Marie Rodgers (Ted Mann) of Albuquerque, NM and Nancy Granados (Ramon J) of Hollywood, MD; two sons: Joseph A. Aiello, Jr. of Bowie, MD and John A. Aiello (Bryan Smith) of Deposit and Los Angeles, CA; a daughter-in-law: Margaret M. Aiello of Bloomingdale, NJ; fourteen grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and many loving cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition to his two wives, Joe was preceded in death by his eldest son Gary A. Aiello, Sr. on 27 July 2010, his parents, four brothers and six sisters.

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated on Saturday, April 11 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Fairfield Glade, TN. Pall bearers were drawn from the Knights of Columbus and the eulogy was given by his grandson Gary Anthony Aiello, II. Interment was private in the St. Francis of Assisi Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Joe’s memory to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital would be welcomed.
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