Giuseppe Marcon

1929 - 2017

Surrounded by his loving family, entered Eternal Life where he rejoined his beloved wife Lina Marcon (Nee Lomastro) of over 50 years on August 19, 2017, at the age of 88 in Mequon, Wisconsin. Devoted father of Mark (JoAnn) and Michael, and loving grandfather of Stephen and David.

Giuseppe was a self-made, self-educated man full of drive and initiative who dedicated his life to his family while living a unique and adventurous life.

Giuseppe was born into a poor peasant family at the foot of the Italian Alps in Budoia, Italy in 1929. He lived in Italy through the end of World War II where he witnessed the brutality and devastation of war first-hand, narrowly missing losing his life in a bombing. Following the war, he moved to Venice by himself at the age of 16 where he began his life's work in restaurants and hospitality. With Italy in a deep post war recession, he followed an adventurous path and moved wherever there was work. During the fifties, he lived in Switzerland and Germany prior to moving to London, where he met and married the love of his life, Lina, a fellow Italian. During the fifties, he also worked as a waiter on cruise ships, sailing to the Caribbean and the U.S., and was docked in Havana harbor when Castro took over. Later, he moved to Bermuda with his wife Lina where he had his two sons Mark and Michael. After five years, he moved his family to Aruba to work in the island's first resort hotel even though he didn't know a word of the local languages. He then moved his family to the Bahamas, Ft. Lauderdale, and Washington D.C. gaining ever increasing responsibilities managing restaurants in resort hotels and at the World Bank. Finally, at the age of 53 he moved with his wife Lina to Key Biscayne, Florida where he owned and managed first one, and then several successful restaurants including one that was ranked in Forbes top 100. He split the majority of his retirement years between his home in Key Biscayne and his home in the Italian Alps until the time of his wife's passing. He later moved in with his son Mark and his family in Mequon after his health deteriorated, but enjoyed being surrounded by his family and watching his grandsons grow up.

He was dedicated to his family always trying to ensure that his family had a better life than he had growing up. He never took a vacation without taking his kids, and he made sure that his wife and kids got back to Italy to visit their family every other summer when they grew up. He was passionate about good food and was an outstanding cook -- one his favorite things to do was to cook big lavish gourmet meals completely from scratch for his family to enjoy. Though the start of WWII ended his formal education at the fifth grade, he loved to learn, was a voracious reader of literature, history, and the news, and became fluent in English, Spanish, and French along with his native Italian. He always emphasized the importance of education and passed on his love of learning to his sons who both received post graduate degrees. He also loved to travel both near and far and to see new things and taste new foods, but his favorite spot in the world was the Italian Alps near his ancestral home. He loved nature in general; beaches the ocean mountains and fresh air, in particular. He loved hunting for wild porcini mushrooms in the mountains to cook up in a risotto for his family and friends. He enjoyed bocce, Italian soccer, the Miami Dolphins (and eventually the Packers), good books, and good wine. He had a great sense of humor, loved to laugh, and enjoyed throwing parties for his family and friends. He loved the United States and all of the freedom and opportunity it stands for. And most of all, he loved his wife and his family to which he dedicated his life and shared his life's adventures.

Visitation will take place on Sunday, August 27, at the Feerick Funeral Home, at 3:30 PM and followed by a memorial service honoring Giuseppe's life at 5:15 PM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Cure Alzheimer's Fund (http://www.curealz.org/).