Mr. Joseph Badaracco

Joseph Badaracco was born on September 15, 1938 in New York City to Adam and Ruby Badaracco. Growing up on the lower east side of Manhattan, Joe relished the ethnic foods of his neighborhood, including knishes, pierogies, corned beef, and hot pretzels. He worked as a shoeshine boy and told stories of earning a dime for turning on the stove of his Jewish neighbor on each Sabbath. After high school, Joe proudly served in the United States Marine Corps. He earned a Combat Action Ribbon for a fire fight in Sidon, Lebanon in July of 1958. In his heart he remained 19 years old and was forever a Marine. He loved to tell stories of his time in the service. Joe moved to Maryland in 1967, but through all those years, he never lost his New York accent. He loved living in Parkton and he took great pride in taking care of his home, garden, and yard. He loved Maryland so much that he would regale his family with his rendition of "Maryland, my Maryland, oh how I love my Maryland" even after short weekend trips to Pennsylvania. He was a meticulous person with artistic talent and a great eye for detail and color, skills he deployed throughout his career as a printing press operator. He also enjoyed fishing and setting up his model train displays. He was a movie buff and loved rewatching his favorites and reciting all the lines. He collected coins, baseball cards, and sports memorabilia, and he was thrilled by the pursuit of adding to his collections. His memory was nothing short of amazing. He could remember movie lines and actors’ names from the 1950’s that he hadn’t seen in over 50 years. He loved to travel and was determined to put as many miles on his rental car as he possibly could on every trip. Many decades after visiting a place only one time, he could describe accurately how the town was laid out, where the gas station was, and what the price of gas was. He liked to compare notes with his family about who knew the Final Jeopardy answer, because he frequently knew the answer when none of the family (or the contestants) did. On August 25th he would have celebrated his 61st wedding anniversary with his loving and patient wife, Gail (Means) Badaracco. He was extremely proud of his two daughters, Karen Prettyman and Stephanie Badaracco, and his son-in-law Gib Prettyman. He was an adoring Granddaddy to his granddaughters Greer and Kate Prettyman, and his canine grandson Rosco. He spoiled his granddaughters and wanted to give them everything he never had. He was also very close to his "adopted" son Chris Herring, and he enjoyed their long talks. He leaves behind many cherished friends, relatives, and in-laws whose lives he shared. In particular, Joe’s family wishes to express their infinite thanks and gratitude to their thoughtful and kind neighbors, who were family to them, most especially in their times of need. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Maryland’s Veterans Affairs department, the American Cancer Society, or a charity that is meaningful to you.

Mr. Joseph Badaracco

September 15, 1938 - August 14, 2023