Joseph Jerome Giovinazzo MD

Joseph J. Giovinazzo, M.D. Joseph J. Giovinazzo was born in Staten Island, N.Y., on October 30, 1960, to Selma and Jerome Giovinazzo, and passed away on September 12, 2026, at the age of 65. He was raised on Staten Island and attended Monsignor Farrell High School, where he was one of the foundational anchors of the Lions' celebrated defensive line in the late 1970s. After graduating magna cum laude from Saint Peter's College in Jersey City, he earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in orthopedics at New Jersey Medical School, followed by a fellowship in sports medicine at Graduate Hospital, an affiliate of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Dr. Giovinazzo returned to Staten Island and dedicated his practice to caring for professional and amateur athletes across the borough. He was the long-serving team physician for the Staten Island Yankees, the Wagner College Seahawks, and his alma mater, the Monsignor Farrell Lions, along with several other local programs, including St. Joseph by the Sea, Port Richmond, Staten Island Technical, Moore Catholic, and Poly Prep. He married the love of his life, the former Lisa Cabezas, and was a devoted stepfather to her three children: Christiane Buhse, James Buhse, and Becky Buhse. Joe and Lisa built a life on the Jersey Shore in Mantoloking, where they welcomed friends and family into their beachfront home. Joe loved to cook—his specialty was a grilled pizza with broccoli rabe. He loved the New York Yankees, his vegetable garden, and, above all, his family. He could also recite every line from every episode of Star Trek (TOS). He was predeceased by his parents, Selma and Jerome Giovinazzo. Along with Lisa and the children, he is survived by his sisters, Ellen and Carol; his brother, Vincent; and many nieces and nephews who loved him dearly. Visitation will be held at Harmon Funeral Home, 571 Forest Avenue, Staten Island, NY, on Thursday from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday at 11:30 a.m. at Sacred Heart Church, 751 Main Avenue, Bay Head, NJ. Interment will follow at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, 56 Cedar Grove Road, Toms River, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Joe's memory to pancreatic cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer. Gifts may be sent to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Office of Development, P.O. Box 27106, New York, NY 10087, with "Joseph J. Giovinazzo" noted in the memo line and the gift designated for the David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer, or made online at giving.mskcc.org