- Date Of Birth: March 29, 1950
- Date Of Death: July 11, 2020
- State: New Jersey
On Saturday, July 11, 2020, surrounded by his family, Giuseppe (Joe) Francica was called home. Joe was born on March 29, 1950, in Nicotera, Italy. At the age of 4, he moved with his family to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he was raised.
In 1971, he moved to the United States with his brother, Nicolas Vincente. Together they opened a pizza restaurant in Burlington Township, NJ, where Joe made his home. It was at Pizza Village that Joe met his wife Mary, and in 1976, they were married and started their family. Joe was an entrepreneur at heart, an adventurer, a friend, a jokester, and above all else, a family man. Joe loved working in the town in which he lived, and he made many meaningful, lifelong friendships with his customers and his employees, whom he treated like family. His arms, heart, and ears were always available to those in need, and he was always willing to share words of wisdom and advice (whether you wanted to hear it or not). Joe owned and operated Pizza Village until January 2016 when he retired. He didn’t stay idle for very long though and began driving for Uber, which allowed him to reconnect with the public and also see many new sights. Joe enjoyed boating, fishing, crabbing, camping, trips to the casino, barbecuing, playing bocce, cooking for his family and friends, going on road trips, and building bonfires with his grandchildren. He adored his family more than anything in the world. Joe is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Mary (Darr); his 3 children who were his pride and joy – Giuseppe (Nicole) of Medford, Michelle (Joseph Ryan) of Burlington Township, and Frank (Christina) of Canonsburg, PA; 7 grandchildren – Giovaninna, Joseph, Caramia, Nicholas, Sarafina, Domenic, and Luciano; his brother Oscar of DE; sisters-in-law Ana of DE and Rosalie of FL; and many nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends both near and far.
Joe was predeceased by his parents, Diego and Francesca Francica of Burlington Township, and two brothers Nicolas of FL and Francisco of Argentina.
