Joseph Bellantuono

Joseph Bellantuono, 92, of Deer Park, NY passed away on December 15, 2020. He was born June 1, 1928 to Pellegrina-Maria Ruggiero-Bellantuono in Mola di Bari, Italy.

He was a loving son, husband, father, grandfather and uncle. He was predeceased by his wife Carmela (Millie). They were married for 58 years. He was also predeceased by his mother, Pellegrina-Maria and his nephew Mariano. He is survived by his children Robert (Regina), Maria Mantione (Chuck) and Linda Caracci (John); his grandchildren Charles Mantione, Chris Bellantuono, Nicole Bellantuono, Vanessa Mantione, Stephen Bellantuono, Victoria Mantione, Samantha Caracci and Cassandra Caracci; his sister Angela d’Ettole; his nephew Riccardo; his niece Angela and great nieces and nephews, Angelica, Mino, Elisa, Alberto, Allesandro, and Dario.

In the Spring of 1949, he made first trip to America eventually working his way to a ranch in Kanaskat, Washington with the help of his uncle John who lived in Seattle. In 1953, he returned to Italy, where he served in the Italian Army until late 1954. He remained in Mola until March 19, 1957 (St. Joseph's Day), when he began his journey back to America.

For about 18 months, he worked on cargo ships based out of Rotterdam which sailed throughout the Persian Gulf region and eventually got back to America in October 1958.

He met Millie in late 1958 and they married on April 25, 1959 at St. Stephen's Church in Brooklyn. They eventually moved to Deer Park where they raised three children and lived out the rest of their lives.

During that time, he and Millie also cared for Millie's mother, his mother and his uncle. He would eventually also care for Millie for 10 years (2007-2017) as she battled Alzheimer’s.



After retiring from many years of working in construction as a laborer, he and Millie hit the road traveling. They traveled by car and motorhome throughout the United States making multiple trips to Alaska, Seattle, Florida and many national parks.



In 2010, he reconnected with his sister, who still lives in Italy and visited her several times, including a visit in November 2019.



He leaves us with a legacy of hard work, commitment to caring for family and travel and exploration.



Flowers and Donations:

Flowers are welcome, however, if you would prefer to make a donation in lieu of flowers, please make a donation in his name to a charity of your choice.