Obituary of Joseph A. DiLeo

Joseph A. DiLeo passed away peacefully at home in the loving care of his family on July 23, 2017. He is survived by his devoted wife of 66 years, Dorothy Frances DiLeo, and six children: Anne M. DiLeo, Margaret F. Hurley, Anthony M. DiLeo, Maura C. Lowles, Angela M. DiLeo, and Alicia M. DiLeo, and he is also survived by twenty-one grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter, Mary DiLeo Howard. Joseph DiLeo was born June 22, 1924, to Anthony and Anna DiLeo in Elizabeth, NJ. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School and was an all-star athlete in both football and baseball, winning a scholarship to Bordentown Military Academy, which he attended for a year before he was drafted into the US Army during WWII. He served honorably and with valor in the Central European Theater. While fighting in Germany he was wounded and was awarded a Purple Heart. After the war he attended Georgetown University on a football and baseball scholarship, graduating in 1950 and subsequently entering Georgetown University School of Law. He was then accepted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and began a career as a Special Agent, and worked on a diverse array of cases ranging from counter-espionage and bank robberies to kidnappings. He was responsible for recruiting many stellar agents into the FBI, most notably the future Director, Louis B. Freeh. He retired from the Bureau in 1975, and afterward became a long-serving officer of the Society of Ex-FBI Agents. He then became Director of Internal Affairs for Amerada Hess Corporation, and in that role he aided the people of St Croix, Virgin Islands by organizing massive humanitarian relief on the island in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. He also received a letter of commendation from the acting Director of the FBI, Robert Mueller, for invaluable assistance in material aid, fuel and supplies rendered to the FBI and NYC Police and Fire Departments in the chaotic days after September 11, 2001. He retired from Amerada Hess in 2002. His life was notable for service to his family, his community, and his church. He coached Little League, Pop Warner Football, and basketball in numerous youth leagues in Woodbridge Township. He served as PTA president of Our Lady of Peace School. He was a member of the Holy Name Society, and was an usher and offering counter. He was a parishioner at Nativity of Our Lord Roman Catholic Church in Monroe, N J. A memorial gathering will be from 7pm to 9pm on Friday, August 4, 2017 at the M. David DeMarco Funeral Home, Inc. 205 Rhode Hall Rd., Monroe Twp., NJ 08831, 732-521-0555. A memorial mass will be celebrated at 9:30am on Saturday August 5, 2017 at Nativity of Our Lord RC Church, 185 Applegarth Rd. Monroe Twp., NJ 08831, followed by Entombment in Holy Cross Catholic Burial Park Mausoleum, Jamesburg, NJ.