7/30/37 - 10/22/16

On October 22, 2016 Joseph Bruno Berretta of Calabash, NC, formerly of Pough-keepsie, NY, passed away at McLeod RMC, Florence, SC from Wegener’s Disease. He was born July 30, 1937 in Brooklyn, NY to Vincent and Carmela (Maione) Berretta. He graduated from Boys High in 1955 and NYC Community College in 1958. Joe spent his working career at IBM in Poughkeepsie as a Mechanical Engineer, retiring in 1992 as a Development Manager. After 6 years in real estate, he moved to Calabash, NC in 2000 where he spent his years enjoying what he loved most. He took up golf and looked forward to his Thursday golf and lunch at the Elks Club in Calabash with his buddies. As a member of the Elks Club, he volunteered on the Veterans’ Committee, having been Chairman of the yearly Yard Sale for 7 years. His love for helping children was evident by his volunteering as a tutor at JMM Elementary School in Calabash for many years, as well as his involvement with the BSA for almost 50 years prior, in Brooklyn as a Boy Scout, and Poughkeepsie, where he was Scoutmaster for Troop 50 before he moved to Calabash. He also coached in the IBM Little League in Poughkeepsie for a number of years, being very proud of the fact that he had coached Ed Lynch, a former pitcher for the NY Mets and eventually GM of the Chicago Cubs.

His Italian heritage led him to join the Poughkeepsie Italian Center where he was President in 1996 and 1997. He always made time to visit there when he returned north. He loved the beach and anything to do with water, whether it was scuba diving in his earlier years (he was a certified instructor), fishing, or just sitting at a beach somewhere. He was an avid Mets and NY Giants fan and looked forward to attending games when visiting NY. He will be dearly missed, especially by Evelyn, his partner of 36 years.

He is survived by his companion, Evelyn Claus; his sons, Joseph (Michelle) and grand

children, Angela, Victoria and Daniel of Chandler, AZ and Michael and grandchildren, Michael, Vincent and Maria of Poughkeepsie, NY. In addition, he also had great affection for his extended family in Rhinebeck, NY, Michael and Denise Tremper and children, Matthew (Liz) and baby Violet, and Ryan and Kaitlyn who all referred to him as Papa Joe. Also surviving in Naples, FL is a sister, Rosalie (Michael) Caforio, along with a sister Loretta in NJ and brother Louis in TN and many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life to be held at Brunswick Plantation in Calabash on Dec. 1 from 4-6 PM in the 19th Hole. Another Celebration of Life will be held in NY at a later date. Contributions in Joe’s memory made be made to:

Calabash Elks Lodge #2679 - VAC, 937 Carter Dr. SW, Calabash, NC 28467.