March 15, 2021
by Kevin Lecce
Joseph Vincent Lecce
March 21, 1931 Brooklyn, New York - February 3, 2021 Lancaster, California
Joe passed away after a brief illness from Covid-19. Unable to have his family at his bedside due to Covid restrictions, his children were able to tell him how much he was loved via telephone. His daughter, Cathy, was allowed a brief visit with him at the hospital 2 days prior.
Joe was born Giuseppe Vincenzo Lecce in Brooklyn, New York. He was the 4th child born to Vincenzo and Elena Lecce. His father, Vincenzo, immigrated from Italy in December 1923 to NY. He worked building the subways of NY earning enough money to send for the family to join him in 1930. Shortly after the family was reunited, Joe was born in the spring of 1931. Sadly, Joe's father was killed while working on the subways when Joe was 3 months old.
Joe's mother and children, Mary, Lawrence, and Anne, remained in Brooklyn. She later remarried Ettore Casoni and they had a daughter, Pauline. The family moved to Queens, NY and then to Lincoln Park, MI when Joe was about 11, staying there until he was a junior in high school. The family then moved to Ontario, CA where he graduated from Chaffey High School in 1949. Joe then attended Chaffey College where he met Mooneen Allen.
Joe enlisted in the USAF in December 1952 and was stationed at March AFB in Riverside, CA. Joe and Mooneen attended UC Berkeley and married in October 1955 in Fontana, CA. Joe received an honorable discharge from the USAF in Sept. 1956 and graduated from Berkeley in 1959 with a degree in chemical engineering. He accepted a job offer from Rockwell International, Rocketdyne Division, in Feb. 1959 in Canoga Park, CA. Joe worked as a "rocket scientist" for Rocketdyne for 33 years, retiring in 1992.
Joe and Mooneen resided in Woodland Hills, CA in 1959 and started a family with the arrival of Scott in March of 1960 and Cathy in December 1961. They bought their first home in Northridge, CA in 1962. They welcomed their 3rd child, Kevin, in July 1964. The family lived there until they moved to their last home in Canoga Park, CA in 1976.
Joe was friendly, kind, and loving. He loved people and people loved him. Above all, he loved his family. He loved talking, socializing, storytelling, explaining things in great detail, and was very patient. He was always helpful, smart, meticulous, neat and organized. He was very involved in the Presbyterian church and numerous other organizations. He was very involved with his kids, coaching baseball, soccer, helping his kids with math and science, and teaching his boys how to work on cars.
Joe was adventurous. When his flat feet and color blindness prevented him from flying in the Air Force, he got his private pilot licence. He loved the Sierra Nevada where he would camp, fish, hike, and backpack. He climbed Mt. Whitney three times, including once with Mooneen and once with Scott. He took his 3 kids backpacking in the Sierras in 1981, Cathy's one and only trip.
Joe was active in his community and with his family throughout his life and during his retirement years, traveling internationally and doing all the things he loved. He remained active after Mooneen passed away in 2002. He remained in his home, happy and healthy, until February 2020 when he moved to Lancaster into an assisted living facility to be closer to his daughter. Cathy and his family made sure he was well loved and taken care of until he unfortunately contracted Covid-19 in late January 2021.
Joe is survived by his 3 children and their spouses, 6 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, sister Pauline, numerous nieces and nephews, and many friends. He would want us to vive bene (live well), spesso l'amore (love much), di risata motto (laugh often), and remember "La Famiglia 'e tutto" (family is everything).
Because of Covid restrictions, a celebration of life will be held at a later date when we can all gather in true Italian style; with family, friends, vino, and Italian food that he all so loved. Salute to Dad, Papa, Joe, Giuseppe, Godfather! We will always love you and miss you; until we meet again...