Joseph S Grasso

His depression era childhood forged his work ethic. Days would sometimes start at 4 or 5 a.m. with calls from farmers and he slept with his hand on a phone. His many notes and numbers were always spread out on his kitchen table; not that he really needed them. His mind was a steel trap. In his younger years he farmed 400 acres of asparagus (people today call those 400 acres Weatherby). He sold the land and segued into what would eventually become Grasso Foods: Nestle, Kraft, Birdseye and McDonald’s buy his peppers. It was a true family business with 3 generations involved. “Listen to me carefully” he’d tell them, or if he was not pleased they might hear that something was “Highly Irregular”. His company grew large but his concern for his brother farmers never changed.rn In his earlier years he was a champion skeet shooter (28 gauge), hunted everything from deer in NJ to bear in Maine and taught himself to fly his Cessna. Later years found his free time nearly non existent but he still liked to catch an occasional episode of Bonanza, sneak off to the Casinos or watch Notre Dame.rn He forged a lifelong partnership with his wife Lena (nee Mangeri). She ran the home but also did the books for the company. Their 67 year marriage would be blessed by 4 daughters: Rosemary Miller, Verna DeWitt, Lorraine DiBona and Janet Bufano, 8 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. He was pre-deceased by his brother, Michael and sister Grace Licciardello.rn Come celebrate 90 adventurous years Saturday 9-11:30 AM at Daley Life Celebration Studio, where there will be a service at Noon. Interment St. Joseph Cemetery.rn Please do not send flowers, instead give donations to Joseph S. Grasso Scholarship Fund for Kingsway Regional H.S., care of The Bank, 179 Kings Highway, Woolwich NJ 08085. rn – See more at: