Joseph Rudolph Annibale

Joseph Rudolph Annibale, 86, died Tuesday, December 22, 2015 from heart failure. A long-time resident of Fairfax, Virginia Joe raised his family and spent the majority of his career working for the Naval Sea Systems Command, “NAVSEA” in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. He was a talented naval architect and draftsman that loved solving problems, engineering, and designing the Navy's ships, submarines, and their combat systems. He retired from the U.S. Naval Civil Service in 1993 and enjoyed sixteen more wonderful years with his beloved wife, Ingrid, before she passed away. Joe, the only child of Jenny and Domenico Annibale, was born in Brooklyn, NY on March 15, 1929. Due to economic difficulties in the ensuing years caused by the Great Depression, Joe was raised in an orphanage in New York until he was 16 years old. He went on to complete his high school degree and served in the Army Air Corps; servicing the aircraft which took part in the Berlin Airlift during the winter of 1948-1949. After his honorable discharge from the Air Corps he studied drafting and was a ship building apprentice. Joe was a “self-made” man and overcame many obstacles in life by always cultivating a “spirit” of adventure; he was a self-learner and was able to excel in anything he put his mind to accomplishing. Joe made a lasting impression on everyone he met with his keen sense of humor, charm, mischief, and zest for life. His greatest love was his wife, Ingrid, an immigrant from Germany, whom he married 1963. Joe will forever be loved by those of us that he left behind. He is survived by his three sons, Marcus, Anthony, and Curtis and six beautiful grandchildren (Joe, James, Sarah, Sofia, Marco, and Zo­ë). He will also be missed by the many friends he touched that we now consider family. We will miss the laughter and joy that he brought into our lives, and we are comforted to know he is at rest, forever with his wife Ingrid. A Memorial Service will be held at Demaine Funeral Home, 10565 Main St. Fairfax, VA on Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 10 a.m. Following the memorial service, Joe’s ashes will be buried next to Ingrid’s at St. Mary’s Historic Cemetery, 5612 Ox Rd, Fairfax Station, VA 22039.