Joseph Sebastian Gionfriddo

Joseph “Joey” Gionfriddo of Old Saybrook, CT passed away on Thursday July 9, 2026, at the age of 50. He was born on December 13, 1975, in Hartford, CT but spent most of his life in Old Saybrook, CT where he grew up.

He graduated from Old Saybrook High School in 1994. He worked as a masonry laborer most of his life.

He is preceded in death by his grandparents Joseph and Lucy Gionfriddo, Joseph and Maria Scianna, and his uncle Gino Scianna

Joey is survived by his parents Marisa & Sebastian Gionfriddo, his daughter Lauren Reynolds, sister Joelle Eckhardt, nephew Dylan Eckhardt and niece, Isabella Eckhardt, his great nephew Shilow Eckhardt and his great niece, Josie Eckhardt, his aunt Lucinda Gionfriddo and cousin Lisa Laskowski, his aunts Nella LaBella, Rosa Patti, Tina Scianna, and uncle Sal Scianna as well as several cousins and extended family members.

Joey was a force of personality. The kind of man who walked into a room and shifted the whole mood without even trying. He had a laugh that came from his chest and rolled out loud enough to pull everyone else into it. He was stubborn in the way only someone with a big heart can be, holding tight to the people he loved and the things he believed in. Joey had a way of teasing you one minute and defending you the next, always ready with a joke, a story, or that look he gave when he was about to say something he knew would make you laugh. He lived with a mix of toughness and tenderness that was uniquely his, and he gave pieces of himself to everyone lucky enough to know him. His personality wasn’t something you could forget, it filled the spaces he was in, and it will continue to fill the spaces he left behind.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Joey’s honor to Operation Smile.

There were so many people who loved Joey and made countless memories with him. The family would like a chance to be able to hear those memories. If planning to come to the services, the family asks that friends and family come with a memory of yours written down, there will be a box to leave that memory so the family can read them and share in your remembrance.

A graveside service for Joey will take place on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 11:30am at St. Sebastian Cemetery located at 75 Meriden Road, Rockfall, CT 06481.