Joseph (“Joe”) Anthony Nunziato, 83 of Leonardtown, MD and Jupiter, FL passed away peacefully in Leonardtown on August 7, 2019. Joe was the beloved husband of Frances (Domino) Nunziato, his wife of over 60 wonderful years. Born in Paterson, NJ and raised in Brooklyn, NY, he was the son of the late Joseph and Rose (Santianna) Nunziato.
In addition to his loving wife, Joe is survived by two devoted daughters: Dina Nunziato (David Warren), and Dawn Nunziato (Jonathan Lowy); and four adoring grandchildren, Jacob Anthony Nunziato Warren, Anna Lee Nunziato Warren, Zachary Nunziato Lowy, and Alessandra Nunziato Lowy. Joe is also survived by his sister-in-law, Jane Papas, brother-in-law, Jim Papas, and nieces and nephew, Christy, James, Mia, Nikole and their families.
Joe graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1953 before attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY. While at Kings Point, Joe travelled the world as a midshipman engineer, graduating in 1957 with a B.S. in Marine Engineering. In October 1958, Joe married his high school sweetheart, Frances Domino, whose work as an executive secretary for Pan American World Airways enabled them to travel extensively through Europe and Asia before starting a family.
Joe worked as an engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense for over 30 years, first for the Army and Munitions Command at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ (1961-1973), and later for the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) at Dahlgren, VA and White Oak, MD (1973-1991). During his tenure with the U.S. Department of Defense, Joe took great pride in supporting our U.S. troops through his work on the Surface-to-Air (SAM) missile defense and anti-aircraft systems. He was a tireless supporter of the Disabled American Veterans, the Wounded Warrior Project, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Gary Sinese Foundation. In addition to supporting U.S. veterans, Joe was an active member of the Lions Club International service organization, serving as the Leonardtown club treasurer for many years.
In 1991, Joe retired from NSWC as Head of the Product Assurance Division. Upon his retirement, Joe and Frances became ‘snow birds’–dividing their time between Leonardtown, MD, Windham, NY, and Jupiter, FL while continuing their love of travel. During his lifetime, Joe visited over 40 countries across five continents, both as a cadet midshipman as well as with Frances.
Joe was an avid golfer and fisherman. During his 25+ years of retirement, Joe spent many happy seasons playing his favorite golf courses including Breton Bay, Palm Cove, and Windham Mountain, as well as fishing with the Black Dog off Jupiter Inlet.
Joe will be remembered for his unwavering dedication to his family, his warm generosity toward his friends and his unassailable dignity of spirit. The family will hold a private service to celebrate the life of their beloved husband, father, and grandfather.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: https://www.stjude.org/.
