Joseph Francis Carney

Joseph Francis Carney of Corona del Mar, CA, was born on December 6, 1927 in Brooklyn, New York to Joseph F. Carney, Sr. and Anita (Zola) Carney. He passed away at the age of 91 on March 14, 2019 in Newport Beach.

Joe is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lillian Carney, three children, Paul Carney (Pam), Stacey Howmann (Eric) and Timothy Carney (Shannon,) and five grandchildren: Kathryn, Brandon, Spencer, Brittany and Dana. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister, Dolores Carney.

Joe took great pride in his Catholic education. He attended Brooklyn Preparatory School on scholarship, and later received his B.S. in Accounting in 1949 from Fordham University, where he also served as Class President. Joe served in the Army 1950-1952 and the Army Reserves 1952-1956.

Joe began his career in public accounting with Hurdman & Cranstoun in New York City in 1952, followed by Corporate accounting for Squibb Pharmaceuticals in 1957. In 1965, Joe was recruited to Dart Industries to serve as Controller for Beverly Hills-based Rexall Drugs. In 1969, he moved his family to Portland, OR to join Evans Products, and, in 1975, happily returned to Southern California as Corporate Audit Manager for Fluor Corporation.

Both in his career, and in retirement with Lil, Joe traveled the globe (throughout Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Middle East). But, he always eagerly anticipated returning home to Corona del Mar.

Throughout his life, Joe made fast and lasting friendships that continue to this day. Joe and Lil opened their home and hearts to friends from all over the world and our family shared great food (and Joe’s famous yams), laughter and holidays with family, friends and honorary “aunts” and “uncles.” Joe was a friend to everyone, often charming strangers with humorous stories and interest in their lives.

Easily recognized with his smiling blue Irish eyes and wavy Italian hair, Joe was an extremely talented musician, with perfect pitch and the ability to pick up and play any song by ear on almost any instrument. In the 40’s, Joe was the guitarist in the Vinnie De Trinis band in New York. He continued to play guitar for his family, teaching them silly folk songs. When he finally owned a piano, he would tickle the ivories in the morning to wake the kids, evenings and weekends for fun, and often until the wee hours of the morning at parties with friends gathered round singing. Joe loved music, the oldies, opera, and, most especially, Jazz. He and Lil shared a passion for dancing, originally meeting on the dance floor at Jug End Barn in 1956, and later, tripping the light fantastic at Jazz festivals and on many Saturday evenings at the Balboa Pavilion.

Family came first for Joe. He worked hard to provide for them, even commuting between states to make relocations easier. Although he was careful never to let it go to his children’s heads by bragging, he was proud of his children’s and grandchildren’s achievements. Nothing was more gratifying to Joe than finding the right gift for Lil, taking his family on a special vacation, and providing a beautiful home. He shared memories of his many cousins, aunts and uncles, of life growing up in Brooklyn, and of visiting his aunt’s farm, where they watched cows get tipsy from eating too many apples.

Joe had a reputation as an extraordinary story teller, who brought characters to life, sometimes laughing till tears rolled down his own face, keeping everyone else in stitches. He also had a gift with the written word, writing humorous poems to commemorate birthdays and anniversaries.

Joe Carney was a man with strong, clearly defined values, a charmer, a musician, and a beloved friend, father, grandfather and husband who will dearly be missed.

In lieu of flowers, Joe’s family has set up a memorial fund in his name and requests donations be made to the ALS Association (alsa.org) The Joseph F. Carney Memorial Fund.