Plan for the Future
Joseph B. Petitto, a long-time Whippany resident, passed away at his home on New Year’s Eve December 31, 2023, at the age of eighty-six.
He was born and raised in Passaic, New Jersey, to the late Assunta Nicotera and Vincenzo Petitto, both immigrants from Italy. It was on the streets of the 2nd Ward in Passaic where he formed friendships that lasted a lifetime. Joe fondly remembered his days in MOTAS (Members of the Tribe Athletic Society) where he and fellow neighborhood kids would continuously play various sports.
He went on to graduate from Newark College of Engineering (NJIT) where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, becoming the first in his family to receive a degree. He later served in the US Army from 1961 until his honorable discharge in 1963.
Joe began his professional career as a pharmaceutical engineer at Ciba Geigy in 1962, where he met his future wife, Barbara, at the coffee station. He moved on to Schering Plough in 1976 and in 1984, to Hoffman LaRoche until his retirement in 2005.
He maintained an impressively active social calendar until very recently, often meeting with family, friends from Passaic, former coworkers, and members of a support group for spouses of terminal cancer patients. He also enjoyed hosting his son’s in-laws, Bob and the late MaryAnn Fox, with whom he formed a very close friendship.
He was the beloved husband of the late Barbara Buschell-Petitto, accomplished artist, teacher, and biggest fan of Joe’s humor. He was also the loving father of Vincent and his wife Donna of Randolph, Christopher of Morris Plains, and the devoted Pop Pop of Jennifer and Joseph, both of Randolph.
