Joseph J. Burgarella, Jr. ’45

Joe, as he was like to be called, was born on August 16, 1925 to Joseph J. Burgarella and Mary Burgarella in Gloucester, MA. After Joe graduated from Gloucester High School in 1943, he went on to attend Maine Maritime Academy from November 1943 to June 1945. He then served as a 3rd mate in the Merchant Marines on the Donald W Bain liberty ship. Joe was very proud of his time in the service and enjoyed telling stories of his travels which included a visit to Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped. After completing his service in the Merchant Marines, he attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1950.

After graduation, he began his career with his first job at Vulcan Electric where he met the love of his life, Helen. He then continued his career at Honeywell and then on to Avco/Textron where he spent the majority of his career designing guidance systems for a variety of missiles and reentry vehicles.

In 1955, Joe and Helen were married and enjoyed a beautiful and happy marriage of almost 65 years. Joe and Helen went on to have two children, James and Ann Lisa.

In 1987, Joe retired and spent his time enjoying his favorite activities and hobbies including woodworking, gardening, golf, and spending time with his family. Joe, while a quiet man, was also the consummate family man. He instilled lifelong skills to his children that enabled them to have successful careers and become self-reliant.

Joe was predeceased by his wife Helen in 2020. In the four years since his wife passed, he has missed her dearly. He is survived by his son James and his wife, Liyu, his daughter Ann Lisa, his step grand-daughter Meisui Russo, his brother John Burgarella, and sisters Mary Burgarella and Jean Anjoorian.