Joseph LaMonaca III

Joseph Anthony LaMonaca III, 81, of West Chester, PA passed away on April 20, 2020, peacefully, in the presence of all three of his loving sons, and is now in Heaven. He would have been 82 at the end of May.

Born in South Philadelphia in 1938, he was the beloved son of Joseph LaMonaca II, and Elizabeth LaMonaca (née Caruso). He was an only child from a large, extended Italian family all located within blocks of his home in South Philadelphia.

Joseph attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Grade School in South Philadelphia and was a 1955 graduate of South East Catholic High School also in Philadelphia.

He was a 1959 graduate of LaSalle University, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Pre-Law. During his College years at LaSalle College, he joined the Army ROTC program. Joseph was so proud of his long, prestigious military career. By order of the President of the United States, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army on June 3, 1959, rising to the Rank of Lt. Colonel on July 15, 1981.

Joseph met the love of his life, Mary Lou Rizzo in 1955 at a dance in South Philadelphia, and later was asked by her to her prom. They continued to date, and were married in November 1960. They lived in Philadelphia, where their first son Joseph was born in February 1962. The next year their middle son Steven was born, followed by their youngest son, Gregory several years later.

In addition to his children, Joseph has five loving grandchildren, whom he adored and who call him Poppie. Debra born 1983, Jennifer & Jessica, (Twins), born in 1994, Alyssa born in 1997 and Gregory born in 2000. He is also survived by his two daughters-in-law, Veronica LaMonaca, and Monica LaMonaca, whom he loved and treasured.

Joseph and his wife moved from Philadelphia, PA to Clifton Heights, PA in 1963, where they remained happily for 36 years. In April 1999, they moved to their current home in West Chester, PA, where they lived until his passing.

He worked very hard as an Officer in the United States Army, 361 Medical Evacuation Unit, and numerous other Active Duty Assignments. He received numerous meritorious Army Awards, the Meritorious Service Medal in December 1987, and Presidential Military Citations. Most prestigiously, he graduated from the very rigorous U. S. Army Command and General Staff School as an Army Major in April 1979.

He was honorably discharged as a Lt. Colonel in July 1987, and continued to serve on active reserve in the Army as a Lt. Colonel until May 1998.

Joseph also worked for the Department of Defense at the Defense Personnel Support Center in Philadelphia, PA from 1962 until 1994, when he retired with countless meritorious awards.

Joseph loved many things and was a very big movie buff, enjoyed dubbing thousands of VCR and DVD Video movies. He liked photography, loved to fish, absolutely loved to read and would sometimes read an entire book in a single day. He was a sports fan and loved watching his Philadelphia Eagles.

He learned and loved to Facetime his family, loved to eat, especially at buffets. His favorite food without question was, Prime Rib End Cut, with extra Au Jus, and hearts of lettuce with extra, extra, extra Blue Cheese.

He always enjoyed talking and telling stories repeatedly and debating politics.  He had many sayings that we called “dadisms”. His favorite number one saying was “How do you feel, Like a Million Bucks all Green and Wrinkled.”

He proclaimed the family song, “I took my girl to the ball one night,” which he was able to sing verse by verse as he often did.

Joseph was a devout Roman Catholic, going to church every week, praying the rosary, novenas, and reading the Bible. As a younger child, he thought about becoming a priest. He had an envelope filled with hundreds of his prayers and prayed them daily. He truly loved God, believed in his faith, Heaven, and looked forward to going there to be with his parents and family, looking over all of us, waiting for our arrival. He wore a medal his entire life, which was given to him as child by Sister Bonaventura, a nun that died.

But most importantly, Joseph lived for and loved his family and spent every minute he could with his children and grandchildren, making him just so happy.

He wanted one thing on his gravestone, and wanted to be remembered by these four simple words “He Was Always There.”

He will be dearly missed by all.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, services and interment are private.

In lieu of flowers contributions in Joseph’s memory to Malvern Retreat House, 315 S. Warren Avenue, Malvern PA 19355, or to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th & Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia PA 19104 would be appreciated.