Dr. Joseph Turcillo Jr.

July 20, 1931 - October 17, 2022, Dr. Joseph (Joey) Turcillo Jr. passed peacefully in his sleep at 91 in Santa Monica, California. Joseph was born on July 20, 1931, to Joseph Turcillo and Rose Puleo. He was born and raised in New Jersey and was a proud graduate of Garfield High School, where he made lifelong friends. He received his BS from Fairleigh Dickinson University and studied biophysics at Saint Louis University. Joseph obtained his medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1959 and then moved to Los Angeles, California. He graduated from the University of California Irvine College of Medicine in 1962. In 1964 he meet Patricia Gates on her 21st birthday and within 2 months they married. They went on to have two daughters. Over more than six decades as a physician, Joseph earned many honors and achievements including being named chief of staff at Burbank Community Hospital and co-founding its cardiopulmonary lab; receiving the first-ever Humanitarian Award from the MEND clinic for his volunteer work to treat underprivileged patients and serving on the executive committee of the City of Hope's Board of Governors. He was also a member of the Medical Education Committee of Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he specialized in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease. A resident of Malibu, Joseph was a long-time supporter of Pepperdine University. Dr. Turcillo was fiercely proud to be Italian American. If you were lucky, you might have caught a glimpse of him cruising down Pacific Coast Highway in his Porsche singing one of his favorite Frank Sinatra songs. He is fondly remembered by those that were touched by his enormous heart and generous spirit. Above all, Joseph was a thoughtful, giving, and fiercely loyal father and friend who did anything and everything possible for those he loved, including his extended family and beautiful cousins from New Jersey, Toronto, and Sicily. Joseph is survived by his devoted and loving daughter, Lisa Turcillo, beloved grandchildren Sophia, and Gabriel Stewart, former wife Patricia Turcillo, and daughter-in-law Jessica Ceron. He is also survived by his dear sister and brother-in-law Susan and Edward Mizrahi and niece Erin Mizrahi, his most faithful cousin, Annie Zoda, as well as his many cherished friends and family. A service is scheduled for Wednesday, November 9 at 12:30 PM at the Church of the Hills at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations to the Trevor Project in memory of his daughter Susan Rose Turcillo.