Obituary of Giuseppe De Thomasis

Giuseppe De Thomasis of Rensselaer passed away on August 22, 2023 after a short illness. Giuseppe, known by his family and friends as “Joe or Little Joe” was born on January 2, 1933 in Abbateggio (Pescara), a small town in Italy where he  lived with his wife and two children. He served in the Italian Army “Alpini” where they specialized in mountain warfare. After leaving the Army his days were spent on working the family farm and working in local factories to support his family. In 1968 he came to America and settled in Rensselaer, NY and eventually becoming a US citizen. He worked construction and became a member of the labor union #190. He took pride in working on many area projects such as the South Mall and numerous other structures that hold his mark to this day.

Joe eventually left the union and worked for the city of Rensselaer public works as a laborer and black topper, where he retired from after 20 years. Joe did not drive a car so he walked to work, city hall and local stores, which he said contributed to his good health until the age of 90. He enjoyed working in his garden tending to tomatoes, grapes and fig trees, mostly to give the fruits away to friends and neighbors. On hot days he could be found sitting on his favorite bench under the cool shade of the grape harbor. During the winters he liked spending days hunting and fishing with his son and grandchildren and watching wrestling on TV. He looked forward to the warm summers where he enjoyed spending quality time with family and friends at picnics and reunions where a game of “bocci” was the highlight of the afternoon, which would turn into a light hearted argument as to which ball was closer to the “pallini”.

He was predeceased by his parents Francesco and Loreta De Thomasis, siblings Rosa (Santino) Dipierdomenico, Agostino De Thomasis, Carolina (Galileo) Tobia, Antonio DeThomasis and great grandson Austin French. He is survived by his wife of 63 years Rosina, son Francesco(Lisa)De Thomasis, Anna (Nelson) French. Grandchildren Carly (Kurt) Carman, Christina De Thomasis, Zachary French, Matthew French, Daniel French and great grandson Chase French. Siblings Paquale (Angelina) De Thomasis, Antoinetta (Jerry) Deyoe, Maria (Gerardo) Petrosino and sister in law Betty De Thomasis, along with numerous nephews, nieces and cousins. The family respectfully has asked for a private ceremony for family and close friends. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to be made to the American Cancer Society or Alzheimer’s Association.

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