Joseph P Baratta

Preceded in death by his parents Patrick and Venus Baratta. He is survived by 1 son Joseph Baratta, 3 daughters Patricia Verdella Keenan, Angela Baratta, Venus (fiancé Roger) Proffer, and will be remembered by 5 grandchildren Marco, Alexia, Rebecca, Joseph, Anthony, sisters Angela Cullinan, Theresa/Terry (Gwyn/Mickey) Gallagher, brother Patrick (Gladys) Baratta, former spouses Angela Daddario, Rosangela, stepdaughter Bruna, and countless family and friends.

Joe was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and raised by his mother and grandmother. As a young man he would shovel coal into the furnace to heat the house and family bakery. He had a great love for music, and so long as he didn’t stay out too late, his mother would let him play his accordion with the band. He was always fond of cars and dancing. This love found him working in a shoe factory to earn money to buy his first car. He looked forward to getting off early on Fridays to go dancing.

After high school he joined the Army and served working on the Ajax Nike missile system and a tour of duty in Germany where he finished up his enlistment. Upon returning home he secured employment as an electrician with Phillips Electronics.

In the early 60’s his family moved to South Florida where Joe and his older brother Pat work for the family at B&F beer and wine distributing. In 1961, he married Angela Immordino, and started a family. In 1965 Joe and Pat ventured into their own franchise where they designed, built, and sold 21 drive through convenience stores in the Greater South Florida area known as Pick-a-Pack. Celebrity Ed McMann purchased one of the franchises and even endorsed their advertisement. A handful of these original buildings still remain throughout the county today.

In 1970, Joe, never one to rest, created another franchise: Serve-N-Save Inc. This time he expanded one into a deli/drive-through convenience store at the height of under developed Tamarac, Florida. Once the residential areas where established, he later converted the deli into an Italian restaurant. All the while pursuing his real estate and brokers license which led to his natural God given talent: construction.

He put his innovative ideas to work crafting catwalks and patios for Euro Tile, and then building prefabricated walls for Volkescastle Inc. He also took a courageous political stand by running for mayor of Fort Lauderdale. He became the Broward County Distributor for Geodesic Dome Homes where he not only built homes but also churches using this unique, efficient, aerodynamic architectural design. His creativity continued in construction and design with his company: The Pool People, of which numerous pools were built in the then developing area of Weston, Florida.

In the later years he progressed into more supervisory work of which he oversaw the conversion of the Pennsylvania Hotel to a high rise office building. Throughout his life he was always a tinkerer and found himself with three patens to his credit: 1) A pre-fabricated wall, which he received an honorary degree from the University of Florida for its innovative insulative interior core, 2) The Magic Juice Filter, and 3) The ABCO Catheter.

Throughout his many years of home ownership, Joe always found himself remodeling, or adding on to his own home, as well as lending a helping hand to his entire family when the need arose. In his later years he teamed up with his good friend Greg for all his handyman jobs. If you needed something built, everyone knew to call Joe.

Joe Baratta will always be remembered as a man of his word, who could build and fix anything, as well as make us all laugh.

A wake is scheduled for Sunday, October 22, from 4 to 8 PM at Babione Funeral Home, Boca Raton, Florida. All are welcome to attend. A funeral mass will be officiated by Fr. O'Flaherty Monday, October 23, at 11 AM at St. John’s Catholic Church, Boca Raton, Florida followed by a military burial at South Florida National Cemetery in Lake Worth, Florida at 1:15 PM. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Trustbridge (Hospice of the Palm Beaches-www.trustbridge.com) at Joe’s request. The family would like to thank all of the staff and caregivers at Jupiter Memorial Hospital, Jupiter Medical Center, and Gardens Medical Center for their efforts, care, and dedication.

Arrangements under the direction of Babione Funeral Home, Boca Raton, FL.