Joe is survived by two children, Janna, and Mark Nachamkin. He regarded Janna’s boyfriend, Joseph Corsino as a second son, and Janna’s longtime friend, Robin Pickus, well, thought of her as a second daughter.

He was blessed and cared greatly for his many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, nephews, and great, great-nieces and nephews. Louise and Steve Grabell, their children, Scott, Ilyse and George Buchanan, their sons, Ethan and Aidan, Evan and Noel Grabell, their daughters, Bella, Anna, Mia, and Laila. Pamela and Jeffrey Buder, their son Andrew, Vicki, and Matthew Gold, their daughters Rebecca and Lissy, Stephanie Ressler-Hochstat and Michael, their children, Samantha and Joshua. Bruce and Ellen Ressler, their sons Matthew and Michael, Jonathan Ressler, Debra and Leon Black, their children, Benjamin, Joshua, Alex and Victoria, Richard and Allison Ressler, their children, Samantha, Jillian, Andrew, and Rebecca, Antony Ressler, and Jami Gertz, their sons, Oliver, Nicholas, and Theo.

Joe grew up in Brooklyn, NY, the youngest of three boys. At 17, he joined the Army, serving in Guam during WWII.  He then joined the Marine Corps and spent just over two years in Korea, first clearing mines but most proud of the time he spent serving in MAGIS (Marine Air-Ground Intelligence Systems) Division. He met the love of his life when, by chance, he and some friends decided to take a weekend trip in the Catskills.  Besides caring deeply for his family, he had a real passion for model building, having 100’s of them and always on the lookout for but he specifically loved airplanes. He loved the detail; he was in his element, spending hours happily working on them; winning awards for many of them.

An unquestionable sign of how much he unequivocally loved his family happened a couple of weeks before passing. At that time, he told his daughter how he had always thought he understood the meaning of love, but that he had come to truly appreciate what love embodied, what love encompassed, what love truly meant. For a man of few words this was a very powerful and touching gift to leave his family.