I met JR and Carol 3 1/2 years ago here in Watersong in St John through his beautiful daughter Gina and her husband Paul.  JR was definitely one of a kind.  He was a happy man with lots of great advice on life.
I would see him in the gym or at the pool, he was like a resident here.
He loved his family which was apparent to everyone who knew him.  
JR had so much charisma, he drew people to him.
JR always had a story to share with you and it usually was a life lesson to be learned from his stories.
I can't even imagine the loss for his family and friends.
We will miss him here in Watersong!
God Bless to his family and may God give them peace and comfort during this difficult time.

Sincerely,
Terry and Pam Foust

I am so sorry for your loss. JR was an incredible person. I was a nurse at the hospital who helped take care of him.  His positive spirit was truly contagious, and he always made me laugh. He will definitely be missed. Sending prayers to your family during this difficult time xoxo

Letty & Mike Aarons 
Dear Carol, our deepest sympathy for you and your family.
Mike and I were so saddened to learn of JR‘s passing. he was definitely one of a kind.
I believe my son Michael met him before us in the gym of course. my son Michael came home and said you have to meet this guy JR and how awesome he is. when we met him down at the pool we felt like we known for years, and he would compliment and say what a good kid you have. JR was just a sweetheart.
Him and my Husband Mike would be singing oldie songs down at the pool and having a great time. JR will be missed. But we are thankful for the good memories.
May JR rest in paradise and fly with the angels.

Carol(My Friend),
Wish we could take away all your pain. Our deepest sympathies. JR is special , he will truly be missed. We referred to him as a remarkable man .
With Love,
Lorraine and Billy

JR enjoyed his bike rides through the community. Always a pleasure to see him. He will be missed. 💔

My deepest condolences to you, Carol, and your family. I was heartbroken to hear about JR’s sudden passing. He was such a kind and wonderful person, always greeting everyone with a smile. He was so active and could be found in the gym, or riding his bicycle. He was a regular at the pool and always made those around him feel welcome.
JR will be deeply missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. Gone, but never forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this incredibly difficult time.

Carol , we love you and are heartbroken learning of JR’s passing .  A true gentleman , loving friend and kind neighbor .  We will always hold him close in our hearts and our memories .  JR aka “Cous” was always our favorite hello and now our saddest goodbye . 
Rest in peace friend .
Love Always ,
Lisa and Michael Cardarelli

My dearest Carol!!!!!
I am out of the country and just learned of JR’s passing!!! I don’t even know what to say! Your husband was one of the kindest men I have ever known! He was charismatic,kind,and a true gentleman! Please accept my most sincere condolences! I wish I could hug you! I pray the lord will help you through this most difficult time! I promise I will see you  as soon as I return to the US. 

With all of my love!
Sara Erba

Our deepest condolences to the family of James Catapano. We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of  your beloved husband, father , grandfather, brother and friend.  When I first met Jimmy, I complemented him by telling him he was the best dressed  man at Geraldine’s surprise party. He warmly welcomed our family to his and wished us good fortune and happiness,  memories that are very special. May he rest in peace .  The D’Aquino Family

Heaven received  10. Angels or more!
This is a man who is the definition of the word 
Gentleman; he lived to love, help, protect, and live for family and friends. 
I can’t think of a better husband, father, and grandfather! I’m blessed to go back nearly 40 years with this remarkable human being. Funny, I always felt, and still do, that he treated me like a son. I'm truly blessed, and I'm hiding some pain, with amazing memories, lots of Carol’s meals, and she also treated me like her own. I pray so deeply for his family so much and will always be there if needed 
. I love you all 🙏🙏

.May you rest in peace Jr.
You will always have a special place in our hearts.

I’ve been thinking about J.R. and how very special he was. I first met him through his daughter Gina, and over the past couple of years I truly enjoy every conversation I had with him. He was one of those rare people who was so interesting, so knowledgeable, and so full of life that you always walked away from a conversation with him having learned something or simply feeling better for having spent time with him.

He was a wonderful man and a beautiful soul, and I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to know him.

My heart breaks for his beloved wife, Carol, for Gina and Paul, Jamie, and his precious great-grandsons. I know how deeply he was loved, and I hope all of you can find comfort in the beautiful memories and the love he leaves behind.

I’m so sorry I won’t be able to be there Monday to say goodbye, but please know that I will be thinking of all of you and holding you close in my heart.

Rest peacefully, J.R. You were truly one of a kind, and you will never be forgotten. ❤️

We were was so lucky to have known JR for over 30 years. Gina & I lived around the corner from each other in Parkland, so whenever he visited Gina we would see him. Then when Gina moved to Wellington so did we, 5 minutes from each other so the fun continued.  We always shared lots of laughs, music & food. I would visit JR & Carol every Thursday and bring his favorite Brooklyn Bagels. We would have lunch talk, laugh until we cried and he would give me life lessons along with torturing me about my listening skills, asking too many questions or just for the hell of it. He will always be in our hearts. Rest in peace 🙏🏼❤️

I’ve only had the pleasure of knowing JR for a little over a year and it saddens me that we all have lost such a genuine human being. He has essentially touched my husband Bills life in so many ways with  his wisdom of life and his love and compassion of family.  
I myself will always remember his smile his love for his family and our friendship and  his snazzy wardrobe. 
JR you will be missed immensely by all but will never be forgotten we loved you so, you will always be in our heart’s forever. Until we see you again.  Rest In Peace 🕊️With love always

Popsie Doodle,

I was so blessed to have had you in my life for the last five years. You always showed so much love to me, Nicole, and Mikey, and I will forever be grateful for that.

We shared so much laughter, so many wonderful memories, and so many special moments that I will treasure in my heart forever. You were truly an amazing man, and you will be deeply missed by so many.

Everyone you came into contact with became your friend. You had such a special gift for making people feel loved, welcomed, and important. That was just who you were. You touched so many lives simply by being yourself, and because of that, your absence will leave a tremendous void in all of our hearts.

I feel so fortunate that God brought you into our lives. I will always cherish the memories we made and carry your love and kindness with me.

You will never be forgotten, Popsie Doodle. You were loved more than you probably ever realized, and you will be missed more than words can say.

To our Friend. We met and became good friends for only a "short" time. We, Josephine and I will forever be thankful for you "adopting" our children ( Vincent & Alexandria) and guiding them each and every day. You did take them under your watch. We enjoyed our times together on our Floridian visits and always had good times together. I want you and your beautiful wife, Carol to know that we will always remember you and hopefully some day we will meet again. U will always be our "JR". 
Love and God speed.

My dad was larger than life and anyone who  crossed his path felt his love and caring way.   He never met a stranger and had a genuine love for people and the very dear friendships he made.  

His love of action, the Track,  being at the “crap table” in the Casino and betting his numbers was his happy place! 

Anyone who knew dad knew he was a big advocate of health and fitness.  Exercising every day and even having the stamina after dinner to go back to the gym as he would say, “there’s no sense sitting on the couch, falling asleep and watching TV”.  However when it was time for TV, his favorite shows were the old westerns.  It would be blasting and he loved the action and the romance!

My Dad, My Hero, James Catapano (JR) passed away peacefully, a month before Mom and Dad would have celebrated their 64th Wedding Anniversary.

His family was his greatest asset, being with my Mom, their love of enjoying food, as he was very particular and spoiled by Mom, dancing, music, happy times and as he would say “romancing her!” Their relationship
was one of a kind.  

My husband, Paul, was more than a son-in-law, he was my dad’s right hand for 44 years.  He would think of everything he needed done and when he saw Paul he would ask him and Paul was always ready to take care of anything and everything for him.  He would say “hello, my boy” and was so Proud of him.   

Jamie was beyond the world to him and he would tell me very often what an amazing young women Paul and I made.  She lit up his world like nothing you could dream of and he very often said how proud he was of Bryan, his love for his family and cherished talking with him and was so proud of their marriage and family they created.  The greatest joy he was blessed with was his twin Great-Grandsons, Luke and Parker, and was an amazing advocate, spent many many days playing, tickling, combing their hair as it had to be perfect like his and teaching them how to be “street smart!”  He would ask , “Who is your best friend?” and they would say, “Poppy!!!” That made him the happiest man in the world!  

As the only daughter, my dad was loving, protective and always there for me in any way, shape or form.  I knew I had the strongest man for a Dad and if I needed his advice all I had to do was ask and at times he gave it without me having to ask!  I loved him with my whole heart and I so grateful that I had his love all my life.  I thank God everyday for the trips, memories and happy times we shared.  I now pray for God’s strength to keep me strong and I will have Dad with me everyday as we shared many of the same genetics and traits.  I am so grateful for all we had together in this life.

The pain of loosing you on this Earth is enormous but heaven has gained such an incredible man.  A piece of me will forever be missing but I wouldn’t change it for all of the memories we have.

So very sorry to hear this. My sincere condolences to the family. JR will always hold a place in heart. I have great memories of him, Anthony D, and my Dad Nick. They will be reunited now in heaven. God bless his soul.

Ben and Donna DiCostanzo.
Maria  DiCostanzo,
And Helene Iacono.

If there was one word that describes my dear friend. It is respect, but anyone who knew JR also knows he loved a good time. He was the life of the party. He loved to laugh he loved dancing singing and going out and having a great time and just enjoying life and when JR was having a good time somehow  everybody around him was having a good time too 
we love and miss you we will always keep you in our ❤️ Gary & Cheryl

We were so sad to learn of JR's passing.  Such a fun-loving and wonderful man.  Our hearts go out to his beautiful family. We feel blessed to have known him all of these years!  Sending our love,

Caroline, Stan and Adam Karolewicz

JR was a man who was larger than life. He lived every minute of his day to the fullest and with joy and appreciation for everyone he came in contact with. He was a man you thought would live forever and had such a positive outlook that it was contagious. He will be dearly missed by everyone! Rest in peace JR!!

My deepest condolences to my cousins and the entire family. I am truly sorry for your loss. May your father rest in peace.

Cousin Sal Vitolo and Family 🤲🏻🙏🏻

OBITUARY

James Catapano Jr.

June 23, 1941 – September 1, 2026

Babione Funeral Home

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