Joseph DePaola Obituary

DePAOLA--Joseph, 97, passed away Friday September 7, 2007. He was the President and Owner of DIC Concrete Corp. He was known and respected by his peers for his innovational contributions to the construction industry. He developed re-designing of structural steel buildings into reinforced concrete and created the two day cycle for concrete placement. His system is still utilized by major concrete construction companies and provides economic benefits to building owners and contractors. Some of the numerous projects he has completed include Lefrak City, Co-op City, the Pan Am building, now known as the Met Life building, 101 Park Ave, Trump Towers and the World Trade Center. He has built over 35,000 international housing units using his reinforced concrete system. He is lovingly known as the father of reinforced concrete or Mr. Concrete. He was the recipient of numerous awards, the Concrete Industry Board presented him with Leader of Industry Award and the Concrete Industry Foundation presented him the Humanitarium Fellow Medal and the Apprentice Scholarship program was established in his name. He died at home in Boca Raton, Florida surrounded by his family. He is the loving son of Leonardo DePaolo and Palmina Guarduclo and was married to Anna (Mahler) DePaola for 63 years. He is survived by his four children, Dennis DePaola of Yonkers, Donald DePaola of New York City, Joanne DePaola of Mahopac, Kathleen DePaola of San Francisco; adored grandfather of 12; cherished great-grandfather of 18. Funeral mass was Monday, 10am at St. Patrick's Cathedral. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Putnam Womans Resource Center, 935 South Lake Blvd, Mahopac, NY 10541, SFPRG Low Income Psychotherapy Service, 10 Funston Ave, The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129, Joseph DePaola Apprentice Scholarship Program, Concrete Board, 520 5th Ave, NY, NY 10036

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Published by New York Times from Sep. 9 to Sep. 12, 2007.

Memories and Condolences
for Joseph DePaola

9 Entries

Leon Olson

November 22, 2007

Back in the 1970s, I worked for one of Joe's companies, Certifed Concrete, and it was the best company I ever worked for. Even now, years later, those of us who worked in the industry, or for DIC Concrete, or Certified, still remember Joe, and hold him in high regard. Rest in peace, Joe.

Lee Olson

Tom & Joyce Bayuk

September 12, 2007

You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Tim & Barbie Yeomans

September 12, 2007

We are so sorry to hear of the passing of Joe DePaola. Our thoughts and sympathy are with all of his family and friends. He was loved and respected by many – including us.

Although we only met him last year, he made a lasting impression that we will always hold dear. He told us stories about his business experiences while in the Middle East, which were especially interesting to us since we have been in Saudi Arabia for a number of years. We had the feeling he could converse at any level on any number of subjects and experiences. He was a generous host and a gentleman in every way, and a truly captivating storyteller, whose amazing life experiences were fascinating to hear. We wish we could have spent more time getting to know him, but we will always be thankful for the opportunity we did have to share a few moments with Mr. DePaola. He was an impressive man and he will be missed by many.

Love, The Biondi Family

September 11, 2007

We were so sorry to hear of your loss. The thoughts of many are with you at this time of sorrow. Our thoughts and prayers are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort.

Christina and Jimmie Casto and family

September 11, 2007

May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well-lived.

CHRIS MCMURRAY MCMURRAY

September 10, 2007

IM SO SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE PASSING OF JOE. I HAVE MET MOST OF THE FAMILY OVER THE YEARS DURNING HOLIDAY VISITS AND I AM SHARING IN THE LOSS OF A GREAT MAN. MY BROTHER HASNT TAKEN THE NEWS SO WELL, AS YOU KNOW HE WAS IN JOES EMPLOY FOR OVER FIFTEEN YEARS DOWN HERE IN FLORIDA, AND GREW QUITE FOND OF HIM.
HE AND MY FATHER HAD SHARED ALOT OF FISHING TIME UNTIL MY FATHERS PASSING IN 93. I HAD THE UNIQUE PLEASURE OF SHARING ALOT OF TIME WITH JOE FISHING ON HIS BOAT, NAMED FOR HIS BEAUTIFUL AND GRACIOUS WIFE. I DONT NEED TO TELL YOU HOW REMARKABLE HE WAS AND WAS A PROFOUND EFFECT HE HAD ON EVERY LIFE HE TOUCHED. NEVER AGAIN WILL THERE BE A MAN LIKE HIM. HIS LIFE STORIES, HIS GENEROUSITY, HIS PASTA SAUCE, ALL WILL REMAINED ENGRAINED IN MY MEMORY AS LONG AS I LIVE. THE PASSING OF JOE MARKS AND END OF AN ERA. HE IS MOURNED BY ALL WHO MET HIM. HIS KINDNESS HAD MADE HIM MANY FREINDS OF ALL AGES. I AM TRULEY SORRY IN THE FAMILYS' LOSS. A LOSS MY FAMILY SHARES. A LOSS TO THE WORLD OF A GREAT MAN AND PATRIARCH.

Bette & Phily " Rabbit" Recupero

September 9, 2007

Please accept our deepest sympathies.

Jean de Saint Andrieu

September 9, 2007

I offer my sincerest sympathy to you all...
PopPop will be missed very much! He was loved by so many.

Enjoy & remember all the good memories that represent the best of PopPop's life.

I first met PopPop about 26 years ago at Joann's in Yorktown at a big family dinner (Thanksgiving?). He was friendly & engaging. He was never reluctant to offer his opinion and knew exactly what he wanted. I saw then and through the next 26 years that he was loved and respected so deeply by his entire extended family!

About 13 years ago, Patrice & I went to dinner at Kathy & Tim's in Tiburon. PopPop was there as well as my mother. During the course of the evening PopPop was recollecting (with amazing accuracy) about his early life after the Depression in NY. He recounted a particular story of going for an airplane ride at Roosevelt Field in the 1930's. He said he remembered the pilot well. A proud German fellow, very well dressed & polished in his flight suit, with a long white scarf. The two of them went up for a ride. PopPop said is was very cold up there. As he shared the story with all of us, PopPop was trying hard to remember the pilot's name. After a minute or two he said, "...the name was Hornke, that's it...Hornke".
Well my mom & I were totally amazed, because that was none other than my mother's Uncle, Felix Hornke. He emigrated from Germany in the 1920's and settled on Long Island to start a flight school. PopPop never knew or heard of the name Hornke since his flight almost 70 years ago! It was such an amazing connection and small world that our families crossed paths so long ago.

PopPop was special in many ways with his own unique & strong presence. He will be missed by many including me.

with sincerest regards,

Jean Baptiste

Bob & Linda Biondi

September 9, 2007

We were so sorry to hear of your loss. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help at this time.

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