Joseph Robert Caruso Jr.

Joseph Robert Caruso, Jr., age 57, of Port St. Lucie, FL, passed away at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, after a courageous 7.5-month battle with Stage 4 Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM).
Joseph, affectionately known as Joe, was born on March 29, 1967, to Teri-ann Desta Ciccarelli and Joseph Robert Caruso, Sr. in Berlin, New Jersey. At the age of 10, Joe's Mother remarried, and he was lovingly raised by her and his Dad, Michael Joseph Ciccarelli, Sr., in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Joe or Joe-bug was Teri's first born and her pride and joy, forming a tight bond and friendship that he would carry with him throughout his life. He referred to his Mom as "His Rock", and often thanked Mike for being "the best Dad" to him and his siblings.
After graduating from Jupiter High School in 1985, he opted to take a year off and travel with friends ending up in California. Joe returned to Florida and attended Palm Beach Community College majoring in Business, where he earned his associate's degree. After graduating from PBCC, he attended Florida State University with a focus on medicine for his Bachelor's. His dream was to become a Plastic Surgeon. Joe loved his time at FSU and all the lifelong friends he met and attended the campus with. His interests changed prior to earning his bachelor's degree, and he embarked on a backpacking adventure through Europe with friends. Experiencing many unforgettable memories along the way. Joe always had a lust for life, adventure and finding the next best thing.
In his younger years, he enjoyed playing baseball, riding dirt bikes, and skateboarding with his younger siblings and friends. He then became an avid surfer, spending many hours chasing the waves at various beaches near and far. He would also later share that love with his kids, evoking the surfing bug in a few of them as well. Joe loved to tell of his trip to Costa Rica during one of his surfing expeditions. He also was a huge football fan, stemming from his time in high school as a quarter back, that was unfortunately cut short due to a health condition. He adored animals of all kinds and had many throughout his lifetime. Joe was a big fan of the music scene and attended many concerts, shows, etc. He met many celebrities, musicians, and various other famous people, and enjoyed talking about those interactions. His love of music was also passed on to his children, and it gave him no greater joy than to encourage and listen to his oldest son playing guitar, or his daughters playing piano/keyboard, French horn, saxophone, or his youngest son playing violin.
Joe had several careers, but the ones that he was most proud of were his restaurant service industry job, and his most recent career doing permitting for Close Permits Fast. While he worked in the restaurant industry, he was able to travel and meet a lot of great people. He spent a great deal of time traveling back and forth to Martha's Vineyard. Joe was not a shy guy as an adult and was a people person with the gift of gab, making many great friendships and connections along the way. This also was a great asset for his career with Close Permits Fast. He spoke highly of this job, and the amazing opportunity his boss gave him 10 years ago. He established great lifelong friendships with his colleagues and considered many of them his family. Many of which came to the aid of him and his family along his cancer journey.
Joe was the oldest of six children. His younger siblings looked up to him and often tried to mirror themselves after him. He was a best friend and hero to his younger brothers throughout most of their lives. He would later form a close bond with his younger sister through his medical care, referring to her as his "Blue Angel".
He became interested in motorcycles just prior to getting ill and purchased a new Harley Davidson motorcycle. He grew up with his Dad, Mike, owning one through most of his life, and carried on the legacy. He, his younger brother, Randy, and a group of tight knit friends formed a small group of riders that met every Sunday for breakfast, that would soon become known as "The Breakfast Club". He loved his time with all of them and especially looked forward to eating his biscuits and gravy. When he got ill, he could no longer ride, but his oldest son, Joseph, would drive his father to meet up with the guys, and became an honorary member. Joe loved having this time to share and bond with his son and brother.
Joe became a dad later in life. At the age of 36, he had his first son, Joseph "Jojo" in 2003. Becoming a Dad changed his whole world. He loved it more than anything. He always wanted to have a big family like the one he came from. He would go on to have 4 more children six years later. His children were his world and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them. He loved being at all their sporting events, school events, skate parks, throwing birthday parties for them, playing tennis with them, etc. He wanted them to have the best of everything in this life. He was so proud of all of them and tried to show it the best ways he knew how. He was always posting pics and talking about all their accomplishments and talents. Being a devoted Dad was his absolute favorite job, and he built a special bond with all his children. There were many nights or weekends after a long day of work, that you would find him at the ball fields, soccer fields, or skatepark with his kids. He also enjoyed being a father figure to his children's two older sisters, Hanako and Briana. He always looked at them as his own and talked about how much joy they gave him and how proud he was of them. He was excited about being a grandfather to Penny, Mikey, and Eli too. He developed special bonds with both significant others in the oldest two daughters' lives and left this world at peace knowing they would be taken care of. Joe, coming from a big family himself, was a strong believer in family. In his later years, there was no place he would rather be than with a huge group of his family making lasting memories. He cherished being an uncle to his 8 nieces and nephews and a great uncle to 2 and a half new members of the family. He may not have gotten to meet his new niece/nephew that's on the way, but he already loved him/her and was excited to have them be a part of this big family.
Joe was a fighter and hard worker. He "put in the work" to fight this horrible illness and tried to stay positive as long as he could. He cared for all his doctors, nurses and care teams that were by his side during this difficult journey. He made it a point to learn all their names and tried to greet them all each time he saw them. It was important to him that they knew he cared enough to remember them, because he was grateful for their care. Dr. Komotar and team, Dr. Mellon and team, Dr. Hill and team, Dr. Kinkade and team, Dr. Duncan and team, and many others fought nearly just as hard as he and his family to try to give him as many months as possible. He would tell his doctors to "Do what you have to do, Doc!" and "I got this!". They even started referring to him as a miracle towards the end. He was fighting for his children; they were his motivation, and he wanted as much time as possible with them. Joe will be forever our miracle, for putting up such a valiant fight.
Joe is survived by his children, Joseph R. Caruso, III, Penelope F. Caruso, Juniper F. Caruso, Fallon L. Caruso, Van G. Caruso, Briana (Will) Holm, and Hanako (Mike) Holm. His mom and dad, Teri-ann and Michael Ciccarelli. His siblings, Heath & Kim Caruso, Randy (Heather) Caruso, Crystal Ciccarelli, Michael Ciccarelli, II, and Paige (Evan) Sessa. His grandchildren, Penny, Eli and Mikey Malcolmson. His nieces and nephews, Tayler & Jacob Brown, Brooke Caruso, Nicholas Caruso, Alyssa Caruso, Devon (Kota) Pulido, Sunny Thompson, and Hannah Doney. His great nieces, Emory and Mazie Brown. His grandparents, Wanda and Bob Wilson. He is also survived by many Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.
He is preceded in death by his biological father, Joseph Robert Caruso, Sr., his younger brother, Nicholas Lee Caruso, his niece, Ashly Caruso, his grandparents, Matthew and Anna Caruso, Darwood & Shirley Holmes, Will Brandt, and Carl and Peg Ciccarelli.
A special message from his children that they would like you to know about Joe:
He was the most joyful soul we've ever had the privilege of knowing. His laughter was infectious, filling every room with light and warmth. He had a unique ability to make everyone around him feel special, offering the biggest hugs and love to anyone who needed it. He lived his life full of joy, with a heart so full of love it could not help but overflow unto every person he met. His kindness, humor, and boundless affection will never be forgotten. Though he is no longer with us, his spirit will live on in the countless memories he leaves behind and in the love he shared with all of us.
There will be a Celebration of Life/Birthday Party for Joe, on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Jensen Beach Golf Club located at 3869 NW Royal Oak Dr., Jensen Beach, FL 34957. We welcome all of Joe's friends and family that would like to join us in celebrating Joe's life. Please RSVP to 772.607.4715 with a text including your name, and how many people will be in attendance with you. Anyone that would like to share fun memories or stories that evening about Joe for his children and family is very much appreciated and encouraged. Joe's final wish was for his friends and family to throw a big party for him. No sadness, just good food, good times, good company, and lots of laughs! We hope to see you all there helping us make his wish come true. The venue has also extended a discount for anyone that would like to golf earlier that morning, afternoon, or that Sunday.
We are asking that in lieu of flowers, you make a donation to help support his children in his honor via Joe's GoFundMe page https://gofund.me/f8fb2ff7 or in person at the celebration. If you would like to send anything via mail to his children or family, please send a text to the RSVP phone number for the address.
"There are some that bring
a light so great to the world,
that even after they have gone,
the light remains."