Obituary of Joseph H. Curry

Joseph H. Curry Joseph (Joe) H. Curry died peacefully in his sleep on Friday, January 3rd at the age of 86 at St. Francis Residential Community in Denvile, NJ. He is survived by his beloved wife of 63 years, Theresa (McNulty) Curry of Denville and his loving children Kevin & Nancy Curry of Vernon, Margaret “Peggy” & Kevin McGroary of Scotch Plains, Eileen & Ron Rubino of Chatham, Brian & Susan Curry of Darien, CT and Glenn & Sharron Curry of Watertown, NY. His grandchildren Meghan & Brian P. McGroary, Zachary & Madison Rubino, Tara and Brian Curry Jr. also survive him along with his Great Grandson Chase P. McGroary. Joe was born in Brooklyn on August 13, 1927 and was raised in a number of orphanage homes until the age of 16 when he was adopted by his mother, Ethel. Joe graduated from Power Memorial High School in New York City where he had scholarships in football and basketball. After graduating, and on his 18th birthday, Joe enlisted in the U.S. Army. The next day, Japan surrendered to the US to end WWII. "Family legend" is that Joe Curry's enlistment in the U.S. Army was the final straw for Japan, which led to their surrender. After his time in the service post WWII, Joe met and married the former Theresa McNulty in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on October 28th, 1950. Joe became a New York City police officer in 1952 and spent most of his years at the 75th Precinct in East New York. The Curry family moved from Brooklyn to Woodhaven, NY in 1958 where Joe was very involved in the community and was head of the St. Thomas Apostle Baseball program for a number of years and coached in the STA basketball and Lynvet Midget football programs. Joe retired from the police force in 1977. After his retirement, Joe had a successful second career in sales positions, including as a Knights of Columbus Insurance agent, where he retired in 1995. Joe was many things, including a character and contrarian. Despite growing up in the NYC area in the 30's and 40's, where the Yankees, Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Baseball Giants dominated that period, Joe became a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan since he wanted "to be different". One highlight of his times on the police force was when he needed to escort his favorite player, Bob Feller to an event. Joe loved being outdoors and was active for many years in adult softball leagues. In the mid-1960's, Joe started playing golf, which became a passion for the rest of his life. He always insisted on walking the course, which he did well into his 80's. Joseph and Theresa lived in Millbrook from 1992 to 2010 before moving to Denville. The Funeral services will be held at St. Francis Chapel in Denville, NJ on Monday January 6, 2014, at 9:30AM. Friends may visit at Norman Dean Home for Services 16 Righter Ave Denville, NJ 07834 on Sunday from 1-5PM.