VISALLI, JOSEPH CHARLES

VISALLI, JOSEPH C.
(October 6, 1941 April 13, 2025)
Visalli, Joseph C., 83 – of Wildwood Crest, NJ passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones gathered in the home he proudly built and lived in for 38 years.
Too great a man to pass away on a random Tuesday, he decided to leave on his terms, on a date that had great meaning to him, April 13, the 38th birthday of his daughter Janine.
By all accounts, Joseph was a deeply serious man. He served as an army Lieutenant, as the second longest standing Cape May County superior court judge, and as the Visalli family patriarch. He was also a serial entrepreneur, sharp hotelier, devoted church usher, resourceful handyman, and empathetic family court lawyer.
But those who knew Joe best, know he was a deeply unserious man at heart (where it counts the most). His court broke into recess so he could goof around with his daughters, Lauren and Janine, in his chambers. Whether making silly faces in family photos; daring his 5 year old grandsons to take the car wheel and drive; popping out from corners to startle nieces and nephews; or rebuilding a deck just to prove he could, Joe approached life with humor, grit, and heart.
His good friends Mike, Bill, and George– would often fall prey to his pranks, but always gave as good as they got. His last days were filled with smiles as he held tight to his grandchildren Joey, Matthew, AJ, and Andrew and gave them bunny ears.
Joe loved to recount his time sneaking cigarettes, restoring classic cars, and tearing through the streets of Philadelphia in his youth alongside his seven siblings Anthony, Charlie, Nicky, Nicoletta, Natalie, Pat, and Pete. He looked up to and out for each and they for him.
He earned his B.S. at LaSalle University in 1965 before he was commissioned as an Army officer and found himself teaching cartography at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. He loved fishing there, a passion he would continue throughout his life and share with family and friends.
Upon completion of active duty in 1968, he entered Duquesne University where he received his J.D. in 1971. He then migrated to the New Jersey shore, as Philly boys are known to do. There he met the love of his life, Jane, when she rented an apartment from his mother, Josephine. They married in 1973 and the handwritten receipt from their wedding remains framed in their dining room to this day (if you are wondering it cost $1,861).
To his great delight, Jane learned many of Josephine's recipes, and he never missed a Sunday family pasta and gravy night. Later in life, he took special pleasure in counting his meatballs and bemoaning in jest if either of his son-in-laws, Michael and Eric, received more.
They weren't his only adopted sons. One of the most common refrains we heard in his last weeks was, “he was like my dad too.”
In his professional life, he steadily rose in the ranks from private practice family lawyer to municipal and then superior court judge. A man who could never sit still, he partnered with his wife to open and operate the 19 room Nautilus motel and Island Ice Cream distribution company, the latter of which he passed along to his nephew Anthony who always made sure to drop off the odd carton of ice cream on his doorstep every summer.
The company remains in the family and is today operated by his niece, Kristen and her husband John. They and their daughter Josie visited his bedside every day he spent at the rehabilitation center.
In retirement, Joe loved to zoom in his speedboat around the Wildwood marshes and eat Captain Weiner hotdogs on Champagne Island in his speedboat. He would trap and release squirrels and crab. He dropped the squirrels off the island. The crabs weren't so lucky.
He tinkered with Lionel trains and with tools in his garage at the bench lovingly labeled as “Pop-Pop's workshop.” He grew the best tomatoes, despite the overeager help of his grandsons. The tomatoes were lovingly pushed on any guest that ventured into their home and tomato salad always accompanied burgers and hotdogs in the summer.
There was nothing he couldn't fix and no problem he couldn't out-stubborn. As an octogenarian, every three months he would crawl under the house to change the HVAC filter. And let's not forget he beat cancer. Twice. During a global pandemic.
It is rare to have so many titles in life: lieutenant, esquire, justice, cartographer, usher. But the titles that meant the most to Joseph Visalli were husband, cousin, uncle, brother, father, and Pop-Pop.
We love you and will miss you forever Pop-Pop. More today than yesterday.