Obituary of Joseph Riccitelli

Joseph Vincent Riccitelli, 91, a beloved member of our family, and a good friend to many, passed into eternal peace on Wednesday, December 24, 2014. Joe was born to the late Vincenzo and Esther Riccitelli, on June 4, 1923, in Hagerstown, MD. He graduated from Gorton High School in Yonkers in 1940. He served honorably in the U.S. Army during World War II, and generously donated money to armed forces veteran's charities whenever he could for the rest of his life. Joe attended the Julliard School of Music in New York. He married his sweetheart Evelyn Friedlander in 1957 in Yonkers. They were happily married for 45 years until her death in 2002. Joe had an extremely sharp and creative mind and a great imagination, and was a multi-talented musician and author, with exceptional gifts for songwriting and creating crossword puzzles. Some of his songs were recorded by Les Paul, Frankie Fontaine, Theresa Brewer and other stars of that era. He authored dozens of crossword puzzles that amazingly consisted of 100% sports-centric clues and answers, something that we believe has never been duplicated. He had an insatiable appetite for knowledge and never stopped learning. Joe could recall virtually every song he ever played on the piano, and every event of his life, in vivid detail, right up to the end.Joe brought musical joy to many thousands of people who heard him perform during his career, and enriched the lives of hundreds of piano and accordion students with his caring and technically proficient music teaching skills. Millions enjoyed his sports-centric crossword puzzles that were published in NY newspapers in the 1970's. Joe was a highly moral and religious man, with a great sense of humor, and never had a bad thing to say about anyone. He was strong and healthy his whole life until 2004, when he was the unfortunate victim of a terrible automobile crash. At the time the trauma center doctors said he had no chance of surviving, but he astounded everyone by living for another ten years. Although he was plagued by many serious health problems resulting from the crash during those ten years, he did not complain or lose his zest for life. Instead, in his late 80's, he rallied and became proficient in the use of a computer and was delighted to find a vast trove of information at his fingertips. He spent much of his last few years surfing the internet reading biographies, enjoying musical performances and learning about anything that fancied him, and trying to help musician friends with their careers. He truly disproved the old adage "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". Joe is survived by his beloved brother Vincent Riccitelli of Yonkers, NY, and several nephews and nieces: James and Perlina Riccitelli of San Francisco, CA, Laura and Howard Cohen of Old Tappan, NJ, and Vincent Riccitelli of Yonkers, NY, and a grand-nephew Aiden Cohen. Joe wrote a beautiful poem for James and Perlina Riccitelli just a few weeks before his passing that will forever be cherished.Viewing will be held from 2-4pm and 7-9pm Monday at Sinatra Memorial Home, 601 Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers. Mass at 10am Tuesday at Mount Carmel St. Anthony Church in Yonkers. Burial to follow at St. Mary's Cemetery in Yonkers.