Joseph P. Goffa Jr.

Joe Goffa, of New Britain, passed away peacefully in his childhood home after a long illness. He was 79. Joe was born and raised in New Britain and was the beloved husband of the late Helena (Husiak) Goffa and the father of two great kids. Joe was born on December 13, 1942, son of the late Joseph Sr. and Michaelina (Lewandowski) Goffa, who were both longtime employees of The Stanley Works and active members of Holy Cross Church. A graduate of New Britain High School, he was a talented baseball pitcher, who attracted major league scouting attention. However, instead of an athletic career, he chose to pursue seminary studies and then a degree in English at the former St. Francis College in Biddeford, Maine. It was during that time that he met the love of his life, Helena, as she stood on a ladder, hanging party decorations at Sound View Beach in Old Lyme. They were soon married and had their first child, Kathleen, in 1964. In 1967, the young couple moved back to New Britain and welcomed their second child, Joseph, later that year. A career salesman, Joe could sell anything: Sealtest milk, LaRosa pasta, Mary Quant cosmetics, Speidel jewelry, Bulova and Citizen watches and ultimately fine jewelry. He was also a well-known classic car enthusiast and mechanic. He collected, fixed and sold everything from El Caminos, Camaros, Corvettes, Mustangs, Monte Carlos, and countless other, mostly American, models. He once piled all the neighborhood kids into a 1962 yellow Cadillac convertible and drove them around and around the block hysterically laughing. When it came to sports, he had an encyclopedic memory. He could tell you how the New York Giants, Red Sox or the Boston Celtics were doing on any given day – along with team stats and predictions of doom or glory. He was also regarded for his great sense of humor. If his wit didn’t brighten your day, he could think of a million bright ideas to make things better. Joe is survived by his daughter Kathleen (Goffa) Blint and her husband, Dwight F. Blint, of Bloomfield, CT; his son Joseph Peter Goffa, III, his wife Kiera (Strouse) Goffa and their children, Emma Grace and Jacob Thomas, of Clover, South Carolina; and his two nieces: Erika (Husiak) Carfi and her children Taylor and Trevor, and Melissa (Husiak) Pezik, her husband Joseph Pezik and their daughter Madison. In addition to many friends and associates, he also leaves his childhood friend and neighbor Walter “Wally” Grudzien of New Britain. A memorial service will take place on Wednesday, March 30, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at New Britain Memorial - Donald D. Sagarino Funeral Home, 444 Farmington Avenue, New Britain. Donations in Joe’s name can be made to the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org. For an online memorial, please visit www.NewBritainSagarino.com.