Joseph Michael Giarrusso

Joseph “Joe” Michael Giarrusso passed away on September 28th, 2024, at Fairfax Inova Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia at the age of 84 surrounded by family. Born on January 30, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Joseph Giarrusso and Eileen Lucille Sportolari.

Joe was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He attended St. Justin High School, in Mount Washington, Pittsburgh, graduating in the class of 1957. He spent his childhood playing pickup basketball in Moorefield, a city park in Brookline. He received a basketball scholarship from Duquesne University and was subsequently recruited to play at Kansas State University. At Kansas State, he was an English major. He was also class president his senior year in 1962.

Joe served in the United States Army as a First Lieutenant in the 2nd Battalion, 48th Infantry from February 1964 through June 1966 in Gelnhausen Germany. He was on the basketball team while in the Army and traveled with the USO.

After the Army, Joe worked at Joy Manufacturing in the Purchasing department working for David Johnson, which is where he met David’s daughter, Catherine Johnson. They married on August 13, 1966 and raised four children before parting ways in 1979.

Over the years, Joe lived in several cities, including Altoona, Pennsylvania, Louisville, Kentucky, and Atlanta, Georgia. He was a gifted salesman and marketer working for various companies in the home furnishings and decorative gifts industry for nearly three decades. His sense of humor and creativity led him to develop and sustain many wonderful relationships with business partners. One of his favorite ventures was supporting his brother Michael’s business, called GotaHave in Houston, Texas. They joked that the store had “nothing you need, just stuff you gotta have.”

In the early 1990s, Joe was a representative for Wallis-Baer Company. He sold fine china and glassware to boutiques and galleries across the southeast. This eventually brought him to settle in Port Charlotte, Florida, where he lived in Rolls Landing and helped to care for his mother Eileen and his Aunt Hazel. In Port Charlotte, he spent much of his free time nurturing his love for gardening. He often planted and replanted the common areas of the condo community, bringing seasonal color and variety to the landscape. He enjoyed visiting with neighbors and beautifying the landscape for all the Rolls Landing residents. In addition to gardening, Joe also loved music. He enjoyed listening to and singing everything from classical music to operas and Catholic hymns to folk and pop songs. He was also a voracious reader and shared his library with others.

Joe moved to Arlington, Virginia in October 2010 to reside at Culpepper Garden near his daughter Annalena. Joe quickly became an active resident in the Culpepper Garden community. He continued his love of gardening, maintaining a flower box in the garden there. He also found another community at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More. Joe was a fixture at daily mass and created several relationships with the clergy and other parishioners. He brought his Catholic faith back to Culpepper Garden creating a weekly Rosary service as well as weekly Communion service and a monthly Mass. He always ensured that Catholic Culpepper Garden residents were able to receive communion if they were unable to attend mass.

Joe provided companionship and care for Norma Shullins, another Culpepper Garden resident. He would go with her to medical appointments and deliver groceries to her. He spent time with Norma daily, helping her with meals and enjoying each other’s company. Their banter between each other sometimes felt like a comedy sketch. He cultivated strong relationships with other Culpepper Garden residents as well, but his relationship with Norma over the past 14 years reflected his kind and caring soul.

Joe is survived by his loving family including his four siblings, Eileen Giarrusso, Toni Vollberg, Michael Giarrusso, and Maria Satchell (Deven); four children, Tony Giarrusso, Melissa Candon (Brian), Annalena Winer (Jon), and Eileen Halter (Pace); ten grandchildren, Elise Giarrusso, Lucie Giarrusso, Wylee Candon, Kenzie Candon, Maddie Winer, Paige Winer, Samantha Winer, PJ Halter, Charlie Halter, and Reed Halter; as well as many other loving relatives and friends.

Joe’s family will receive friends and family for a funeral mass at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More on Saturday, October 5th, 2024, at 1:30PM. The Cathedral is located at 3901 Cathedral Lane, Arlington, VA 22203, and a reception will follow. Inurnment with committal services will be at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh, PA on Saturday, November 9th, 2024, with a reception to follow.

To remember Joe and his legacy of giving, and in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the following:

Culpepper Garden

Salesian Missions