Joseph Nicholas Mele

Longtime Las Vegas resident Joe Mele passed into the hands of God and into the arms of his beloved wife Sally on the morning of April 3rd. He was 93. Born in 1929 in Toronto Canada as Guiseppe Nicholas Mele to Italian Immigrants, he would become known as Joseph Nicholas Mele or Grandpa Joe to his 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

Joe was a brilliant musician and well respected in the music industry. Joe excelled in music from a very young age. When he was just 16 years old he was the lead organist for the Toronto Boys Choir in all their public performances. When he was in his 20s, he was the musical director and piano accompanist for the Four Lads. Joe’s big break came when he became the orchestra leader at New York’s famous Copacabana, working with great entertainers like Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Rodney Dangerfield and more. This opened the door to working on Broadway with Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, many years with Dionne Warwick and Lou Rawls eventually ending his career as Don Rickles’ musical director/arranger and all-around straight man. One of Joe’s proudest professional moments was being invited to perform for the Queen of England.

In addition to a wonderful professional career, Joe enjoyed an equally wonderful personal life. La Familia (family) was everything to him. He used to say “there’s no better feeling than the feeling of coming home”. He was a quiet, kind and generous father, husband and friend who will be missed by many.

Joe was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years Sally Lotze Mele and brother Nick Mele. He is survived by his 5 children MaryAnn Dondero, Joey Mele, Lisa Bertich, Patty Zimmer, Nicholas Mele, his brother Victor Mele and Sister Carmela DelGrande and his 13 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmeastern.com for the Mele family.