Joe Scopacasa

Joe was born in a small town in Italy called Bovalino Superiore in the region of Calabria. His younger brother Jim was also born there in 1930. They lived with their parents Maria and Francesco, and their Grandmother Filomena. Francesco emigrated to the US in 1925, settling in Los Angeles, California. Maria and the two boys emigrated to the US in 1946 to join Francesco, where Joe’s two youngest brothers Mario (1947) and Frank (1948) were born. Joe spoke no English when they came to the US, yet he studied hard, and graduated in the top half of his class from Belmont High School in Los Angeles in 1949. After high school, he enlisted in the US Air Force, and served for 3 years. Once Joe was honorably discharged from the Air Force, he got a job working for Farmers and Merchants Bank (which eventually became Bank of America) as a busboy in the employee cafeteria. He worked for Bank of America for 38 years, working his way up to becoming a loan officer when he retired. He received two certificates from The American Institute of Banking while there. He met his wife Mary while working at the bank. They married in 1958, and were married for 5 years. They had a daughter, Tina, born in 1959. Joe was an announcer for Hawthorne Little League, where his youngest two brothers and nephew played baseball. Joe lived in Hawthorne for many years, and loved tennis. He played in many local tournaments, receiving a number of trophies. He lived most of his life in Glendale, where he was very involved in the community. He ran for Glendale City Council in 1999 . He loved people, and spent a lot of his free time walking around Glendale. He greeted everyone he met with a warm smile and hello. The people in his condo complex called him “Uncle Joe”. He especially loved children, and collected toys to give to them when they came by to see him. He walked from his home every day to the Lexus dealer in Glendale, and became their “greeter”, offering pastries to clients, and keeping the place clean and tidy. He made lifelong friends with many of the employees there. He also kept the Glendale sidewalks clean, picking up litter daily. He was awarded Volunteer of the Year in 2011 for his efforts. In 2020, Joe moved into an assisted living facility; Mariposa at Ellwood Shores in Goleta, CA.

Joe is survived by his daughter Tina, grandchild Kaelin, brother Frank, sisters-in-law Kathy and Priscilla, nieces Anna, Linda, and Jenny, and nephews Richard and Tom.

He was preceded in death by his parents Maria and Francesco, brothers Jim and Mario, sister-in-law Evelyn, and nephew Tony.

Online guest book can be signed at www.forestlawnglendale.com

Funeral services will be held at Forest Lawn in Glendale at 1:30 pm on February 17, 2023.