Obituaries

Joseph DiTusa

Joseph DiTusa of South Jamesport died Oct. 11, 2017. He was 96.

He was born March 10, 1921, in Manhattan to Moresta (Morelli) and Salvatore DiTusa and was a graduate of Bryant High School. He was raised in Corona, N.Y. from the 1930s up to World War II, when he and his brothers all answered the call to military service.

During his time in the military, he served with the U.S. Coast Guard from 1941 to 1945 as a boatswain and patrolled the waters off the coasts of North and South America for submarines, from Peru to Greenland, including the East Coast of the United States.

After his service, he married Madeline Behrens in 1945. They moved to Huntington in 1956 and eventually made their home in South Jamesport in 1985. Together they had three children.

Joseph was part of a big Italian family in Queens and Nassau County. He was also the proud owner of two businesses, Watch Dial Refinishing from 1949 to 1981, and Jamesport Hardware, which he established in 1981 and worked alongside his sons, Rich and Bob.

Locally, he was a member and usher at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck.

Predeceased by his wife Madeline in 2005, he is survived by his children, Rich, Bob and Sue and his grandchildren, Lianne, Tom, Mike and Jimmy.

The family received visitors Oct. 12 at DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home in Mattituck. The Liturgy of Christian Burial was celebrated Oct. 14 at Our Lady of Good Counsel R.C. Church in Mattituck, officiated by Monsignor Joseph W. Staudt. Interment followed at Sacred Heart R.C. Cemetery in Cutchogue.

Memorial donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital would be appreciated.

This is a paid notice.