Joseph S. Barranca

Joseph S. Barranca, beloved father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, passed on to eternal life on December 29, 2022.

He was born to Anna and Stefano Barranca on December 20, 1929, in his childhood home on Henry Street in the neighborhood now known as Carroll Gardens, where he spent almost all of his 93 years on earth. Joe graduated from Sacred Heart School and attended Brooklyn Automotive High School, leaving early to work as a longshoreman on Pier 97 like the rest of his family, including his father who emigrated from Sicily.

Joe's innate intelligence was clear, and his family encouraged him to move off the waterfront toward white-collar work. After being drafted into the US Army during the Korean War and serving from 1951-53 in Germany, Joe held a number of jobs, including insurance broker and bail bondsman. He was ill-suited to the life of a bail bondsman because it was so hard for him to collect from people who were hurting. Eventually he found his preferred career in the legal world as a federal compensation representative. It was in the court system of downtown Brooklyn that he got to know many of the judges of his day while advocating for injured longshoremen and their families.

An unbelievably energetic, devoted, and generous soul, Joe was loved by everyone who knew him. There are so many stories that demonstrate his selfless kindness, which ranged from fighting for a fair settlement for a friend's family to buying ice cream when the truck arrived every day for all the kids on the block.

Joe was buoyant in his zest for living, his curiosity, and his enjoyment of conversing with those he encountered on his daily adventures around the neighborhood. With his dog Blackie by his side, he placed bets at OTB, picked up the news of the day, and then ran errands for others. He rooted his life in his neighborhood and in many noble but simple principles: honesty, loyalty, integrity, and courage. The combination of these created intense strength of conviction (if he thought he was right, nothing could sway him) and unfailing devotion. He would go to the end of the earth to help people - all acquaintances were friends, friends were family, and his family members were extensions of his heart. He looked after his mother, father, younger brother, wife, daughter, and so many others with ceaseless generosity and humor. Yet he was not docile or meek. On the contrary, Joe was extraordinarily strong, physically and in his soul, and he would use that strength in defense of others. He knew who he was, and he was fiercely independent, often described by the movie quote, "Nobody owns Joey but Joey."

Those who knew him well adored him and often held him up as a role model. Those who had the luck to call him family knew he was one in a billion. His wife Carol fell in love with him the moment she met him and never stopped over a seven-year courtship and more than 46 years of marriage. In tender moments, she would sing from "Cabin in the Sky:"

"A certain man with eyes that shine/Voodooed up this heart of mine/It seems like happiness is just a thing called Joe..."

His passing brings deep sadness, as does the loss of anyone or anything pure and beautiful. Of the frailty of life Joe would say, "We're all just passing through." But Joe Barranca never just passed through. Sometimes he moved so quickly he knocked things down. But always he helped and made things better, happier, and more fun. We cry for ourselves at his loss because we know we will never see the likes of him again. Yet we are also comforted knowing, without a doubt, that he is at peace with those he loved and lost: his parents Anna (Mignosi) and Stefano; his sister Mary (Val DeMaria); brothers Patty (Rosalie) and Frank (Louise); his wife Carol (Reddin), and his many dear friends. Joe is survived by his only daughter Anna Barranca-Burke and son-in-law Kevin Burke; his grandchildren Edward and Elizabeth Burke; his brother Gasper; godchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Visitation will be at F.G. Guido Funeral Home, 440 Clinton St. in Brooklyn, on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, from 1-3pm and 6-8pm. On Wednesday, January 4, 2023, a funeral mass will be held at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Catholic Church, 125 Summit Street at 11:15am, after which Joe will be laid to rest in his family grave at Green-Wood Cemetery.