Ralph Michael Giacobbe

Ralph Michael Giacobbe entered into eternal rest in the early morning of July 2, 2024, after a long and brave battle with cancer. He was 80. Mr. Giacobbe was born in East Orange but was raised in Newark, where he lived for about 40 years. In the end, he resided in Linden, where he passed away at home. His loving wife of 47 years, Theresa, took care of him in the final hours while his faithful dog, Brutus, stood by.

Mr. Giacobbe was a hard-working, Italian-American man. He loved the time spent with his parents, Albert and Matilda, at their store, Red Top Record Shop, which opened in Newark in 1938 and closed forever in 1967. He had many jobs after that, including wholesale record distribution, record store management, driving a snack truck, package delivery, and taxi driver. Mr. Giacobbe loved driving. He knew how to get anywhere, for he had the map of New Jersey memorized. He made friends wherever he went.

In 1975, Mr. Giacobbe met the love of his life, Theresa, at a lemonade stand in Seaside Heights. They married in 1976 and had two children, a son and a daughter. Mr. Giacobbe is also survived by four grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, and in-laws.

He loved music, especially doo-wop, Motown, the Eagles, and the Beach Boys. He always listened to the golden oldies, sang off-key, and slapped his car dashboard like a bongo. At any given moment, he could tell you random facts about a music artist or give historical context to a song playing on the radio. He told many stories.

Mr. Giacobbe always looked much younger than his age, and was a soft-spoken and calm man most of the time, but he would yell at football games on the TV. He was a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan and was proud when they finally won the Superbowl. When he wasn't yelling at the TV, he was sleeping in front of it.

In his youth, Mr. Giacobbe played softball until he injured his leg. When his children were old enough, he taught them how to play the game. In nice weather, he took them to the park and played catch. He also loved watching them play in the P.A.L. for Linden's teams.

Mr. Giacobbe was of Roman Catholic faith. His parish was St. Elizabeth of Hungary Roman Catholic Church in Linden. He never missed going to church until he became ill. He kept his thoughts about religion to himself and would never force anyone to believe the same things as him. He dressed well and prayed quietly.

He was a kind man who loved his family. He was witty and probably the inventor of dad jokes. He remembered birthdays and anniversaries, and mailed everyone cards. He loved Italian food, especially pizza, ravioli, and prosciutto with mozzarella. Mr. Giacobbe never used foul language; the worst thing he ever said was, "Gee whiz!" if he was frustrated. He was a good husband and father. His bright, joyous light is greatly missed.