DeGENNARO, A. Joseph, 90, of Tampa passed away on December 4, 2017. Joe was born May 18, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pa. to Agostino and Helen Rose DeGennaro who were immigrants to the United States from Italy. He was preceded in death by his parents; devoted wife of 64 years, Norma Joan Ferry DeGennaro; sisters, Theresa, Betty and Gloria; and by grandson, Anthony DeGennaro. Joe is survived by six children, James (Merita) DeGennaro of Lakeland, Steve DeGennaro of Tampa, Robert (Debbie) DeGennaro of Tampa, Larry DeGennaro (Leslie) of Keystone Heights, Joey DeGennaro (Sheila) of Rocky Ford, Colorado and Norma Jean DeGennaro Burrows (Byron) of Tampa. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren. Joe was a well-loved and much respected teacher. He served 22 years in the U.S. Navy; most of time instructing sailors and Marines is the basics of aviation electronics. After retiring from the Navy in 1966, he attended college on the GI Bill and graduated from the University of South Florida with a Masters degree in mathematics. He then spent the next 30 years of his rewarding life teaching math in public and private schools in Hillsborough County. Besides being a member of the Greatest Generation, Joe was truly a Renaissance Man. He could play guitar, piano and violin; he could write poetry; he was very mechanically adept and a whiz at electronics; and he was an avid bicyclist. But most important to Joe was his family. The DeGennaro children were blessed to have outstanding parents who nurtured them and taught them the values of living by the Golden Rule and being courteous and respectful to persons of all cultures and positions. Joe later doted on his grandchildren and great grandchildren as he knew that to play with children meant you could stay young at heart forever. A celebration of life service will be held 5 p.m. Sunday, December 10, 2017 at Hillsboro Memorial Funeral Home in Brandon, Florida. The family will receive friends one hour prior the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joe’s name may be made to your favorite charity or to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.
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