Giuseppe “Joe” Gristina

Giuseppe “Joe” Gristina, age 96, of Tappan, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, April 1, 2022. He was born December 24, 1925 in Sciara, Italy where he met and married his beloved wife of 70 years Maria “Mary” nee LoBello. Giuseppe was the first of the three children of Rosario and Filippa Gristina. After their wedding, Giuseppe and Maria moved to New York where they started their family and life together. 

Giuseppe was wonderfully devoted to his two children the late Rosario (Russ) Gristina and his wife Josephine, and his daughter Phyllis Battaglia and her late husband Ignazio (Sal). 

Giuseppe was a loving Grandfather to Michael and his wife Karolina, Maria Villani and her husband Michael, Danielle Ferraioli and her husband James, and grandson Joseph Gristina. He is also survived by five great-grandchildren, Julianna, Luca, Margaux, Leo, and Charles Salvatore.

The family expresses appreciation to all who comforted and cared for “Joe” in his last years. Thank you to Giuseppe’s loving brother Dominick Gristina and his wife Josephine, his sister-in-law Josephine Woodley and her husband James, and his brother-in-law Piero Scatena. He is also predeceased by his beloved sister Anna Gristina. 

Giuseppe was a parishioner of St. Catharine’s RC Church in Blauvelt, New York. He was a devout Roman Catholic who cherished family get-togethers. He enjoyed gardening, his wife’s cooking, watching his Italian shows, and WWE.

Visitation will be Wednesday, April 6 at Pizzi Funeral Home from 8:00 am to 9:30 am in Northvale, NJ, followed by a 10:00am mass at St. Anthony’s in Nanuet, NY with entombment to follow at St Anthony’s Cemetery.

 In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at stjude.org.