Joseph R. Petralia

Joseph Richard Petralia died Thursday, March 16, 2017 at home following a brief illness.

He leaves his sister, Angela (Petralia) Bishop and her husband Richard Bishop; his niece, Deirdre Waterman and her fiancé Manny Rios; his nephews, Mark Bishop and his wife Sandra Roberts Bishop and Matthew Bishop; his grandniece, Kaleigh Waterman and her fiancé Nikolaus DellaZoppa; his grandnephew, James Waterman and his wife Alicia Waterman; three great grand nephews and one great-grandniece; his aunt, Anne Calderone; and many cousins and friends.

Born and raised in Lawrence, Joseph was the son of Attorney Joseph Petralia and Anne (DelVecchio) Petralia. He resided in Lawrence his entire life.

Joe attended St. Augustine's Grammar School, Lawrence High School, and Merrimack College. After graduating, he took the opportunity to work with his father in his law office in Lawrence as a tax accountant for many years.

An avid Boston Bruins fan, Joe had season tickets and never missed a game. He always shared his memory of being there when the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. He was an experienced chess player and enjoyed the game whenever he could.

Joe was a caregiver for his mother, Anne Petralia while she was at Mary Immaculate Nursing Home in Lawrence and continued to volunteer on the Alzheimer’s unit after his mother passed away. He also was a Eucharistic minister at Mary Immaculate Nursing Home and cherished the friends he made there while volunteering. He received many awards for extraordinary service throughout that time.
In later years, he worked doing home care with various clients in the Merrimack Valley. So dedicated, he would stay up all night with them if need be. He would sit with clients and their families during hospice to provide them with comfort and support.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to be made to Mary Immaculate Nursing Home and Restorative Center, 172 Lawrence St., Lawrence, MA 01841-3156.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend visiting hours on Sunday, March 26, 2017 from 1:00-4:00 PM at Cataudella Funeral Home, 126 Pleasant Valley St. Methuen. His funeral mass will be celebrated at 1:00 PM on Monday, March 27, 2017 at Our Lady of Good Counsel / St. Theresa’s Church, 22 Plymouth St. Methuen. Burial will follow at St. Mary – Immaculate Conception Cemetery, Lawrence. For directions or to send condolences please visit www.cataudellafh.com.

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