Joseph Alfred Ferraro
Feb. 3, 1942 - March 3, 2020.
On March 3rd, 2020, Joe Ferraro passed from this life. He began this life’s journey on February 3rd, 1942, in Greenwich, Connecticut, as the firstborn son of Santa (Carlucci) Ferraro and Alfred Ferraro, who have predeceased him. Joe grew up in Greenwich playing in his beloved Bible Street Park amidst a large extended family and working for his father in the landscaping industry, which fostered a lifelong love and interest in building, making and growing things. It was also under his father’s guidance that Joe learned to hunt. This began a lifetime of hunting with his father, uncles, brothers, friends and sons at the family hunting home and numerous family holidays shared there in that beautiful rustic setting.
In high school, Joe met his sweetheart, Cindi King, who would become his wife in 1967. At Greenwich High School, Joe excelled in many sports, but it was football that earned him a scholarship to Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, one of the few colleges in the country that does not accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies for any of its operations. He was the first one in his family to attend college. After determining that his size was a deterrent at the college level of football, he and a group of friends started a Hillsdale hockey team that traveled around to other colleges to practice and compete. That team still exists today.
Upon graduation from Hillsdale College, Joe enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard and spent seven years in active and reserve service.
Joe began his business career with Gristede Brothers in New York City and Connecticut. A chance social meeting would change the path of that career and drive it to Genuine Parts Company (NAPA), where
Joe spent the balance of his business life, influencing and training many people along the way and making many dear and lifelong friends. Nearly 40 years later, with moves to Piscataway, New Jersey, Buffalo, New York and Glastonbury, Connecticut, Joe retired and took on a new project of clearing land, managing and building a new home on the hunting property in the Berkshire Mountains on the Massachusetts/New York border. There he confirmed what he already knew…that he could complete or fix almost anything. That accomplished, he spent 7 years there before moving permanently to Palm City, where he spent much time working on perfecting his golf game at Monarch Country Club.In work and in life, he was an incredibly humble man who never forgot his Italian American roots and reveled in stories of his grandmother’s simple life of growing their own food and being self-sufficient in every way. Joe loved people and made friends wherever he went. He never met a stranger and once meeting you, he never forgot you. He was a man who practiced and lived his Catholic faith by helping those in need in big and small ways. Joe was a loyal friend who reached out to all and was a loyal member of Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Palm City. His greatest joy in life was his loving family. He spent many years coaching his children’s sports teams, where it was as much fun for him as for the children, and many years of family ski trips. Winters in Buffalo were spent skiing and playing and coaching hockey and summers were spent on the shores of Lake Erie in Crystal Beach, Ontario. Many more friends and acquaintances grew out of these events.
After three near-death experiences, it was his time to rest. He leaves behind his wife of 53 years, Cindi Ferraro of Palm City; sons, Scott Ferraro (Christy Pannell) of Atlanta, GA; Todd Ferraro (Arlene) of Pittsburgh, PA; Robb Ferraro, of Nepal; daughters, Dana Sorge (Josh) of Lakewood, Ohio and Stacy Henshaw (Paul) of Block Island, RI; 10 grandchildren; Bryce and Graham Ferraro; Dillon, Chase and Jack Ferraro; Turner, Annabelle and Madalynne Sorge and Peyton and Nash Henshaw; brothers; Al Ferraro of Greenwich, CT and William Ferraro (Marie Hlavaty) of Rowayton, CT; sister-in-law, Beverly King of Cambridge, MA; Alyssa Perri, Nicki and Lia; Lindsay Pignataro (Mike), Lilly and Luke and Lauren Ferraro and a large extended family of uncles and many beloved cousins in the Tri-State area.
After a life well-lived, he will be greatly missed.
A Celebration of Life and a gathering for friends and family will be held at Forest Hills Funeral Home and at St. Catherine’s of Riverside at a later date.
PEACE COMES FROM WITHIN.
DO NOT SEEK IT WITHOUT. Buddha