Joseph Casasanto

Joe Casasanto was born August 31, 1934, to Antonio and Josephine Casasanto in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest of five children. As the youngest of the Casasanto siblings, Joe was adored by his older siblings and was considered and treated as the “Golden Child.”

He spent his teenage years balancing school and work as a metal sheet mechanic by day while attending a technical institute at night where he took pre-engineering courses.

His passion for aviation led him to employment as a “weekend warrior” in Wintergrove, Pennsylvania where he worked at a regional airport. Here he was responsible for starting and inspecting airplanes for pilots. His skills and dedication earned him the title of the “Plane Captain.”

These skills and reputation followed him all the way to the U.S. Naval Academy. After passing intense physical and mental exams, and though he was a quarter of an inch shy of the minimum height requirement, Joe was accepted into the Academy. “You’ve come too far to be rejected for a quarter of an inch,” he was told by enrollment personnel. In 1959 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy. His first assignment was in San Diego. While stationed in San Diego, it was there that Joe met his first wife Nancy. He asked her if he could buy her a drink and she responded, “No, I want to dance.” That dance led to marriage and two children, Julie and John.

He was later stationed in Norfolk, VA. He was the supply officer for the Navy and was directly involved with the logistics for the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was here in Norfolk that Julie was born.

A few years later, they moved to New Orleans where he was stationed as a Navy finance officer. Here is where their son John was born.

Eventually life brought Joe and his family out to Southern California where he worked as both an engineer and manager at the Port of Long Beach.

Then in the late 1970’s, he took a job in San Francisco as Senior Labor Relations Negotiator for Dole Foods, a division of Castle and Cook. It was here that Joe met and married his second wife, Sue on August 10, 1985. The following year, they both retired in their mid-50’s. In the ensuing years, they traveled to many destinations around the world and took several cruises, but returned to their favorite place several times, Italy.

In 1991, Joe and Sue sold their home in Walnut Creek, CA to Sue’s daughter Kimberly and moved to Sun Lakes, AZ, but spent summers in Southern California. They loved to play golf, tennis, and enjoy the retired life with new-found friends.

Each summer they would rent an apartment in Orange County and travel up and down the coast in their RV—enjoying the outdoors and all the beauty California had to offer to. Then in 1999, Joe and Sue moved to Laguna Woods, [Orange Country] CA full time and quickly became fully engaged in all that that beautiful retirement in the Laguna Woods community had to offer. They continued to play golf, tennis, and joined several clubs in the community.

It was here that Joe’s love and talent for painting began to manifest itself. He painted many water-color pieces of artwork that he shared with friends, and his children and Sue’s. On more than one occasion, his artwork was featured in the gallery of the recreation center where they lived. Each image Joe painted, captured the beauty of the outdoors. We called him the “Bob Ross” of Laguna Woods. Both were die-hard Angel baseball fans and would travel back to Arizona many times in March to see their favorite team play Spring Training games. Of course, they saw plenty of games in Anaheim too.

While Sue did the cooking at home most nights, they both loved all kinds of food, and knew all the best restaurants wherever they lived. It was Sunday nights though where they partnered in the kitchen and prepared Joe’s favorite dish—anything with pasta.

This was almost a sacred event for them. In fact, the kids knew not to call during the “pasta hour” from 5-6 pm on Sundays. If they did answer the phone, it was a very short call. Hey, you don’t mess with the pasta if you want it “al dente.” They even had special pots for cooking and bowls for eating the pasta. You could say that Sunday night was as much a ritual for the two of them as it was a weekly reminder for Joe of his beloved Napoli ancestors and his mother’s cooking as a young boy.

Of course, nothing got Joe more excited than the annual Army-Navy game. He may have been the best armchair quarterback since his midshipmen hero, Heisman Trophy winner and real quarterback, Roger Staubach, played for Navy until 1965.

Joe was very close to his family up in Northern California and NEVER missed Christmas visit or his twin Grandsons, John’s and Nicholas’s December birthday celebrations. It was during this time that Joe introduced his NorCal family to the wonders of vacationing in Laguna Beach every Summer. They never missed an opportunity to come stay in Laguna and go to Disneyland with their beloved “Paki.”

Joe was so happy to introduce his beautiful granddaughter, Nigella to the wonders of his SoCal life. She also visited frequently with her dad, John.

Joe and Sue continued to travel to distant lands as Joe fine-tuned his skills as an amateur travel agent, and Sue gladly followed. Though travel slowed for them as they aged, they seemed to never actually slow down. In April 2023, they moved from their home in Laguna Woods to an assisted living community in South Jordan, Utah to lighten the demands of homeownership, lose the stairs, and be near family.

While at the assisted living home last year, Joe was interviewed and spotlighted for their monthly newsletter. He was asked for what advice he would give in life. “Never give up. Go for what you really want. Go for it”

Joe and Sue enjoyed an amazing marriage and life together of nearly 39 years before she passed away on April 13, 2024. Yet we all knew that without Sue and her companionship, Joe would likely not thrive as he had done for 91 years. On January 26, 2026, he passed away peacefully.

A committal service with US Navy Honors for Joe will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at Valley of the Sun Cemetery: 10940 E Chandler Heights Rd. Chandler, Arizona 85248.