Joseph R. Palermo Jr.

1944 - 2020

Joseph R. Palermo Jr., 76, passed away on Monday, June 29, 2020. Joe lived his life on his own terms. He wanted you to know that he was a family man from birth, being born into a loud and boisterous Italian family where love and Catholicism were doled out in great measure. Joe loved his wife, Jackie, children, and grandchildren more than anything in the world. He and Jackie were married almost 56 years and raised four children, who survive him – Rock (and wife, Kim), Lance (and wife, Tonia), Ashley (and husband, Nick Goodling), and Alisha. Joe delighted in his children's accomplishments and loved his daughters- and son-in-law as if they were his own. His greatest joy, however, was being a grandfather. Joe had a special relationship with each of his grandchildren, and aspects of his personality shine through in each of them. We know that all of his grandchildren – Rachel, Ryan, Sarah, Grayson, Addison, and Reid – will miss their Papa Joe terribly.
Joe was a true entrepreneur and involved community member. Joe worked so that he could play, and he certainly had a good time. If he wasn't working or with his family, you could find him flying his airplane or fishing Toledo Bend. Joe absolutely loved flying and became a pilot at the age of 17. He could fly just about anything and constantly challenged himself to obtain more flight certifications – in direct competition with his son, Rock. Similarly, Joe loved to fish and relished his time with his Toledo Bend friends.
Joe lived life to the fullest and loved any activity that involved family and friendly competition. Typically egged on by his children, he participated in any challenge presented. He hunted, snow skied, golfed, played tennis, water skied, rode motorcycles, went scuba diving, and even "jumped out of a perfectly good airplane," all to spend time with his kids and grandkids and to hopefully do it better than them. Joe also spent a great deal of time enjoying good food, and despite eating at some of the best restaurants around the world, he always stated that the best food was in his wife, Jackie's, kitchen. Joe knew he hit the culinary jackpot when he married Jackie, and he was always the most satisfied customer in Jackie's "always open" kitchen.
In addition to his family mentioned above, Joe is survived by his adoring sister, Mary Ann Fiorenza, his loving brother, Tony Palermo, Sr. (and wife, Tina), brothers- and sisters-in-law, Jacqueline Palermo, Johnny Manuel, Phil and Pam Manuel, Gil and Brenda Manuel, Matt and Carey Manuel, and Art Schultz. Joe is also survived by a host of nieces and nephews and cousins, who will all miss his crazy sense of humor and generosity. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Rose and Joe Palermo, his brother, Myron Palermo, and his sisters, Frances Walker and Carolyn Palermo.
Joe loved and mentored so many, adopting so many people into his life. Had Joe written a farewell to all of those whom he called family, we would have taken up an entire page of the newspaper. Joe lived life on his own terms and would encourage everyone to do the same. He always said, "You only get one life," and "you can't take it with you."
A celebration of Joe's life (or death – your choice, he said) will be held at a later date, when we can all gather and share fun stories of Joe together. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a charitable donation to the MD Anderson Cancer Center (www.mdanderson.org) or The St. Nicholas Center for Children in Lake Charles, LA (www.stnickcenter.org).