Joseph L. Folgore, 79, of Marlboro, NJ passed away on Wednesday, February 23, 2022, at Jersey Shore Hospital surrounded by loving family.

Joe was born on November 6th, 1942 to Marianna DiFalco Folgore and Luigi Giuseppe Folgore in Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily, both of whom are predeceased.  In 1953 Joe and his mother as a WWII war widow, came to the US to start a new life and did so when Marianna married Peter Buccellato and created a blended family. It was in his early teens and living in Brooklyn that Joe grew the New York roots in his talents, skills, and personality to make his American Dream come true. 

Joe is survived by his loving wife Sandy and their two children Michael and Robert and the two surviving adult children, Louis and Maggie, and predeceased son, Joey, from his first marriage with Margaret Folgore. 

Joe is immediately survived by his siblings and respective spouses, Anna Meund, predeceased Anthony Buccellato, Felix Buccellato, Celeste Grell, and Joseph Buccellato. Surviving grandchildren Marissa, Louie, CJ, Rose, Veronica, Johnny, and great-granddaughter, Juniper Rose. 

Joe was a man of strong will, tremendous passion with a big heart who helped change the lives of many simply because he believed in them. 

As an entrepreneur, he has opened many business ventures ranging from formal dining restaurants to managing a drag race strip. His main staple and flagship, FMW Piping, was established in 1970 with just a welding rig and a lot of determination and developed into a true family company for three generations of steamfitters, welders, operators, and office administrators.  

As the owner of Il Nido Italian Restaurant, he created his vision of providing quality meals with attentive service. He, his wife Sandy, and talented staff have created many memories through celebrations and touching more lives through his vision and passion. 

Joe’s hobbies ranged from collecting wine, bowling, motorcycle and pro stock car drag racing. He lived and played hard with relentless energy. He overcame many adversities and challenges in his life, oftentimes with the most colorful vernacular. He lived life by taking on as much of it as he could and on his terms. His relentless energy was apparent in his dedication to his health and daily exercise.  It’s this uniqueness of his fighting spirit and compassion that changed and touched many lives.

A wake service will be held at the Holmdel Funeral Home, Holmdel NJ on Sunday, February 27th from 1:00 to 5:00 PM. The Funeral will be at St. Gabriel’s Roman Catholic Church on Monday, February 28th at 11:00 AM with the burial at St Gabriel’s Cemetery immediately following. 

Joe will be laid to rest next to his beloved son Joey who passed in an untimely manner at age 15 in 1987.