Saturday, September 04, 2010

Joseph Plumitallo 9/11/01


Today I have the honor of paying tribute to Joseph Plumitallo. He worked at Cantor Fitzgerald as a bond broker. He is survived by his wife Mareen, his daughters Genna and Lisa his son, Joseph Jr. over to the stable at Gaitway Farm on a Saturday to watch his favorite, El Diablo, get ready to race.
I have posted the full message from Legacy.com because it tells his story than I could. Also, please read some of the messages left by some of his many friends and loved ones. He is sorely missed I'm sure. I am so sorry you lost him.

Hey, tell the guys in Bensonhurst: Joe's horse came in first at Freehold the other day.Yeah, the same Joseph Plumitallo who used to be the stock boy at the Stillwell Avenue A&P, where at 17 he caught the eye of Doreen Manno, 16, the meat wrapper. Got married and lived in a room in his parents' house on Lake Street. Talked his way into a bottom-rung job on Wall Street. Rode the F train to his future, as a Cantor Fitzgerald bond broker. Went from a polyester suit at the 1976 Lafayette High prom to wearing pinstripes, buying a few horses, and, at 45, treating clients to Super Bowls.He was quite a talker. He would start that story of how Ms. Manno nodded off after one drink on a date at Dangerfield's, slept through dinner, dessert, "the whole show, asleep" and — here's where his smile would widen, eyes locked on Ms. Manno's, for the punch line — "in the ladies' room." And so many other stories.Dressed impeccably, he would take his daughters, Genna, 11, and Lisa, 9, in new white outfits, to the hometown Father- Daughter Dance in Manalapan, N.J. He would drive his son, Joseph Jr., 5, over to the stable at Gaitway Farm on a Saturday to watch his favorite, El Diablo, get ready to race.Are Diablo and the others still racing? You bet. It was Genna's wish, and Lisa's, and Joe Jr.'s. And you have to believe it would have been Joe's. Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 11, 2001.

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