Joseph Simone

Joseph Simone, 86, passed away peacefully at Sunrise Brighton Gardens Assisted Living in Edison, NJ, on Feb. 6, 2026.

Joe was an adored husband, beloved father and cherished grandfather. Born in Elizabeth, NJ, on March 27, 1939, Joe would reside much of his life in Linden, NJ. Joe worked as a service manager for his family’s heating oil and coal business, Simone Bros. Fuel Oil Co., for nearly 50 years. His work took him around Union County where he provided service to clients and forged many friendships. In 2004, he retired to Cranbury, NJ with his wife, Alberta.

Joseph enjoyed spending time with his family and especially his friends in the K. Hov Four Seasons Cranbury. He was an active community member in Cranbury, belonging to the Men’s Club, weekly poker group and he led the Golf Club and organized outings to Monmouth Park Racetrack. He was an avid fan of boxing, racing, the Yankees and the Raiders.

In retirement, Joe embraced cooking and loved preparing Italian fare, linguini and clam sauce becoming his signature dish. Joe even won K. Hov’s inaugural chili cooking contest. He also had a fondness for puzzles and building LEGO sets.

Joe was a friendly and gregarious man. He could talk to anyone and made friends wherever he would go. And almost everyone seemed to know him! He was a proud member of the Italian-American Service Organization UNICO and attended many alumni events for Linden High School. Through his son-in-law, Joe became an honorary member of the Elizabeth Fire Department, where he became close with many members of the department. He may even have attended more Firemen’s conventions than some of those on the force.

Some guys have all the luck and Joe was one of them. In 1995, Joe and his bowling team, the No-Names, won the lottery, splitting the winnings between them. The five bowlers remained lifelong friends. In 2012, Joe scored a hole-in-one on the seventeenth hole of the Woodloch Springs Country Club. His PGA certificate held a place of honor in his home ever since. Joe’s luck continued. He won three rounds of nickel bingo in a row on his very first day at Brighton Gardens.

Joseph was predeceased by his beloved wife, Alberta Ferko Simone, and daughter, Diane Conway Socha; his parents, Paul Simone and Lena La Spada Simone DeMaio; and his stepfather, Jerry DeMaio.

He is survived by his brother, Vincent Simone; his sister, Ann Bertuccelly, and brother-in-law,Tom; his sons, Paul Simone and wife Deenna; Steve Simone and partner Alexis; and his daughter, Karen McNamara and husband Tom. He is also survived by his grandchildren Joseph, Trista, Paula, Marlana, and Brian and their families.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Joseph Simone to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation at https://t2t.org/.

Visitation will be held on Friday, Feb. 13, from 4 – 8 p.m. at the Higgins and Bonner Echo Lake Funeral Home, 582 Springfield Ave., Westfield, NJ. A Mass will be held on Saturday, Feb. 14, at 10 a.m. at St. Helen RC Church in Westfield, NJ. Interment to follow at St. Gertrude Cemetery, Colonia.