Obituary of James V. Granata

James V. Granata passed away on Saturday, July 23, 2022, at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.  He was 83 years old.  Jimmy was born and raised in New York City.  He later lived in the Bronx where he attended Taft High School.  He attended the University of Oregon where he played Basketball on a full NCAA college scholarship.  He played minor league baseball for the Baltimore Orioles Baseball Organization.  He also played baseball while stationed in Texas during the time he served in the US Army.  He married his first wife, Patricia with whom he had three sons, Angelo, Vincent, and Anthony, and resided in the New York/New Jersey area.  James was remarried to his second wife, Alida, in 1979 and they expanded their family with her two sons, Alfonso, and Alexander.  Jimmy was a produce buyer and broker in the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Market in the Bronx, NY.  He retired in 2010.  He has resided in Greenbriar @ Whittingham in Monroe Twp. since 1999.  He was a lifelong member of the East Harlem Giglio Society and fulfilled his dream of traveling to Italy where he was honored in his ancestral hometown, Brusciano, Naples.  Jimmy was a fan of the New York Yankees and rarely missed a game.  He was a member of the Italian American Senior Cultural Club while living in Greenbriar @ Whittingham.

He was predeceased by his parents, Angelo and Josephine, his brothers, Anthony, Rocco, and Thomas, his sister, Nancy, and his son, Angelo.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Alida (Spano) Granata of Greenbriar @ Whittingham, Monroe Twp., four sons, Vincent Granata of Eastchester, NY, Alfonso Hernandez and his wife Brenda of Rutherford, Alexander Spano and his wife Jenny of Southampton, and Anthony Granata and his wife Kristen of Creedmoor, NC, 6 grandchildren, Daniella, Nicholas, Christopher, Anthony, Michael, and Ava, and numerous extended family members.

Visitation will be from 3-7pm on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, at the M. David DeMarco Funeral Home, Inc. 205 Rhode Hall Rd. Monroe Twp., NJ 08831, 732-521-0555.  A Catholic Blessing will begin at the conclusion of the visiting hours at 7:00pm at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers and for those who desire, memorial contributions may be made to either The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, www.jdrf.org, OR to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, www.stjude.org.