Joseph "Joe" J. Aquilante, 96 years old, a WW II Disabled Veteran; Chapter 21 and a kind and gentle soul passed away on Friday, May 13, 2022 in Briarcliffe Nursing Center, Johnston, RI. He was the husband of 60 years to the late Elsie (Rivers) Aquilante.
Born in Providence in 1926 and a lifelong resident of North Providence, Joe was the son of the late Leo and Maria (Iannatuono) Aquilante.
Joe was the father of John and Carol Aquilante and Sally Veltri and her husband Tony and grandfather of Anthony Veltri and his wife Rebecca and David Johnson and his wife Angela. He was also a great grandfather, uncle to many nieces and nephews and brother of Rose Giardello and the late Kay Nicoletti, Victoria Petrone, Michelena Muscatelli, Matthew Aquilante, Pauline Iacone, Etta Catanzaro, Nora Aquilante, Louise Bocanfuso and George Aquilante.
At the age of eighteen, Joe was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps and served in the technical air intelligence unit, advance echelon, Far Eastern Air Forces for two years. Upon returning home to Rhode Island, he married and raised a family and began his career as an auto mechanic for Hurd and Goldberg and later various other automobile dealerships.
Joe had many interests and hobbies. He was a HAM radio operator, (W1EIG) and loved photography and building model airplanes. He introduced and shared these interests with his grandson, Anthony (N1QMF).
Joe was proud to attend the Rhode Island Honor Fight trip to Washington, DC and served as the Grand Marshall for the Town of North Providence in 2019.
Joe had a brief residence at the St. Elizabeth Court, an assisted living facility in Providence where he made many friends and within this outstanding and welcoming community, his quality of life improved.
At the request of his family, visiting hours are respectfully omitted and his funeral and burial will be private.
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