Joseph F. "Joe" Locallo Sr.

1924 - 2021

With greatest of sadness, the family and friends of Joseph F. Locallo, Sr. (Joe) announce his passing on March 30, 2021 at the age of 96. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth J. Locallo (Bidlo) and his loving children, Diana Vera, (Arturo) Joseph Jr., (Kristine), John, and Beth Allegretti, (Ed); his devoted grandchildren, Joseph Locallo III (Catie), Jenna Kay (Michael), Art Vera (Josephine), Carlos Vera (Natalia) and Eddie Allegretti; his loving great grandchildren Jack, Tom, Jubilee, Victor, Esther, Lucy, Ezekiel, Mackenzie and Vincenzo, and many loving nieces and nephews who knew him as Uncle Joe.

He was born to parents Frank Locallo and Victoria Locallo (Guzzardo), on May 2, 1924, the third son of four children, Victor, Sam, Joe & Gus. Joe attended Waller High School, Chicago, IL, where he met the love of his life, Elizabeth. He was captain and star left-handed pitcher for the Waller baseball team, often answering to the name "Lefty" by his teammates. After high school, Lefty Locallo played baseball for the Chicago Cubs farm team in the Carolina leagues from 1943-1945 and even tried out for the Chicago Bears, but alas, he was destined to do other things. He married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth, in 1945 and started his family.

In 1952 he joined the Chicago Police Department and retired in 1985. He rose through the ranks to become a Lieutenant of police, proudly wearing star number 289. Along with his brother, Gus, star number 290, they were the first two Sicilian brothers to become lieutenants in the Chicago Police Department. Joe retired as a Lieutenant and Gus as a Captain.

Gus and Joe were very close in surviving the passing of their brothers, Sam and Vic. Gus, age 95, was the last to speak to his older brother Joe just moments before his passing. Family members in attendance will often remember the tenderness of those moments and the bonds these two brothers shared so many years.

Joe was proud of his Sicilian heritage and passionate about cooking. He loved making his own homemade sausage and sharing a secret of the recipe, moistening the meat with white wine and adding grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to the mixture. His favorite spaghetti was pasta con fava (pasta with fresh fava beans) or pasta con sardi (pasta with sardines) a family treat in celebration of St. Joseph's feast day. If cooking was music, he was a conductor of a symphony.

Most of all, Joe was a devoted family man who lovingly cared for his wife, Elizabeth, married 75 years, and enjoyed watching his grandchildren grow. We will miss him deeply, but he has joined family members of ours who have passed before him that we hold dearly in our hearts. And that's a good thing and something to celebrate. In lieu of flowers please contribute for our mom, Elizabeth, to Cure Alzheimer's Fund, https://curealz.org/.

Visitation Wednesday, April 7, 2021 from 9:00 a.m. until time of Funeral Service at 12:00 noon at Cumberland Chapels, 8300 W. Lawrence Ave., Norridge, IL 60706. Interment St. Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, IL. For info 708-456-8300 or www.cumberlandchapels.com.