Joseph Anthony Cricchio

Joseph “Joe” Anthony Cricchio, beloved father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away on September 25th, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Joe was born on October 13th, 1946. Family, faith, and food were the great passions of Joe’s life, and he had a deep love for animals. He particularly loved his horses—Shannon, Shaker, and Beauty—and great danes—Bosco, Diego, Valentine, Murphy, and Oatmeal.

Joe was also known for his incredible work ethic, spending most of his life working in insurance. His dedication to his work earned him many awards and recognitions. Still, the family legacy Joe created with his wife was his most precious accomplishment. To Joe, the most important thing in life was family.

Joe married Marylyn Cunningham on May 5th, 1969. Together, they raised five children: Janet, Mike, Michelle, Dominick, and Daniel. Their five children have thirteen grandchildren: Tierney, Tynan, Aidan, Brennan, and Kyleigh (born to Janet and her husband Kayne); Kensie and Cade (born to Mike and his wife Stacey); Logan, Kaleb, and Alexis (born to Michelle and her husband Jason); Enzo (born to Dominick and his wife Yujiao); and Andrew and Addison (born to Daniel and his wife Stephanie). At the time of his passing, Joe also had eight great-grandchildren: Jude, Atlas, Georgia, Kimber, Kabryn, Dawsen, Colter and Rory. Joe loved to make you laugh, never hesitating to share a silly joke or riddle with his children and grandchildren. With his great-grandchildren, Joe would amuse them with funny faces and his Donald Duck impression. In his last days, Joe was surrounded by family.

Joe joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1981 and dedicated much of his time to church service. Joe found comfort and purpose in his deeply held beliefs and was always willing to lend a hand and take an active role in his church community. He was particularly adored by the youth he taught in Sunday School and the missionaries he always welcomed into his home for a meal.

Joe found great joy in cooking for his loved ones. For years, Joe would host family pasta nights nearly every Sunday night. These nights were loud—full of love, laughter, and Joe shouting “EVERYBODY OUT OF THE WAY” as he carried the pot of boiling water to drain in the sink. Joe was also known for shouting “TOOTS” any time he needed Marylyn’s attention (pronounced like “tootsie” without the “ie”). Most of all, Joe will be remembered for his boisterous rendition of “Happy Birthday,” which he took much joy in singing (if it can be called that). If a family member was traveling, he would still make sure they were fed—Joe had an uncanny ability to tell you where the nearest and best food was along any part of nearly any highway within the United States. If he called you on a road trip, he would ask what mile marker you most recently passed and he could always tell you what food or attractions were nearby, with astonishing accuracy.

With Italian roots, Joe was a passionate and tenacious man whose love for his family was fierce and knew no bounds. Joe knew how to create hours in a day that didn’t exist to be near his loved ones, despite their geographic location. He will be greatly missed, but live on forever in the hearts and memories of those who knew him.

Funeral services will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, October 3, 2025, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4708 Highlands Pkwy, Columbia, MO 65203. Visitation will be held at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 3, 2025, at the church until the time of service.