Joseph Lynn Pesci
September 10, 1933 - November 22, 2009
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Joseph Lynn Pesci
September 10, 1933 - November 22, 2009
Obituary
Joseph Lynn Pesci, beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, passed away Sunday, November 22, 2009 with his wife and children by his side after a long struggle with heart failure. Joe lived a full life, loved his family and friends dearly, and had an unshakeable faith in God. He was well known for his positive attitude, gregarious nature and commitment to helping others.
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Karen; his three daughters, Christy Greg Bak-Boychuk, Jennifer Steve Farber, and Maureen J. David Bournazian and six granchildren, Chloe Farber, Enzo Bak-Boychuk, Simon Farber, Sophia Bak-Boychuk, and Evan and Isabella Bournazian. He is survived by his sisters Carole Bill Hess and Mary Evelyn Donnelly, and his brothers Bill Marilyn Pesci, Tim Judy Pesci and Jim Pesci. He is also survived by his aunt Edith Pesci.
Joe was born to Joseph George Pesci and Catherine Lucille Schad Pesci in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 1933. He was the oldest of six children, followed by Carole, Bill, Mary Evelyn, Tim and Jim. He attended St. Mary Catholic School, was an Eagle Scout with 51 merit badges, sang in the choir, and graduated from Freeport High School in 1951. He attended the University of Arizona on a football scholarship, studying business and public administration, and was a member of Delta Chi fraternity. Post-college, he worked for Pam Am World Airways where he met his wife, Karen Alice Monaghan, also a graduate of UA and originally of Chicago. They married at St. Joseph’s Church in Tucson, Arizona, on November 9, 1963 and had three daughters: Christine Marie, Jennifer Lynn and Maureen Elizabeth. Joe built a successful career in property management over the next 35 years. He was General Manager of El Conquistador Center in Tucson and then moved his family to Northridge, California, in 1977 for his dream job as Vice President of Property Management at The Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California. Karen earned her nursing degree while still in Tucson at UA and worked in hospitals in Arizona and California before becoming a public health professional in the L.A. Unified School District. She received a Masters in Nursing with a specialty in Pediatrics in 1995 from Cal State University Long Beach and recently retired as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in June of this year after 31 years with LAUSD. After moving to Laguna Niguel, Joe held executive property management positions at both Trammel Crow Company and Cambio Property Management while also offering private consulting services in the same field under Pace Management and Consulting. He became active in his local parish at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church. He was well known at St. Tim’s for being a prolific and creative fundraiser. He was a dedicated member of the Knights of Columbus, having received the First Degree in 1968 in Tucson and then continued his service in California at St. Tim’s, eventually founding a chapter of the Squires and obtaining the Fourth Degree in 2001. Joe was visited in the hospital repeatedly by many of his brother Knights over the past few months, a testament to the strong bonds of friendship and excellent character of the Knights.
Joe was very proud that all three daughters earned college degrees: Christy from Mount St. Mary’s, Jenny from UCLA, and Maureen from UCSB. Christy Bak-Boychuk has a M.A. in English Literature and Rhetoric and Composition. Christy is a high school English literature instructor in San Juan Capistrano. Her husband Greg is a Mechanical Engineer who designs and builds brain surgery implements and tools with Microventions in Irvine. Jenny worked in magazine publishing in LA before moving to Chicago with her husband. She was the Creative Marketing Director for a business management consulting practice for 5 years. She now raises her children and has a part-time residential interior design business and fundraises for their church and schools. Her husband Steve owns Pacific Trading Group, an options trading firm at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. He is currently pursuing a Master’s of Education at DePaul University in Chicago with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher. Maureen is a business and math teacher on hiatus while she raises her two children and volunteers at their schools. She is currently Executive Vice President of the PTA in San Juan Capistrano and is the Life Skills Coordinator for Mary Ericson Housing in San Clemente. Her husband Dave is Of Counsel attorney with Kutak Rock LLP in Irvine and Los Angeles and has been practicing law in California for 13 years.
Joe loved his grandkids and bragged endlessly about all of them. He was proud of Chloe’s musical skills and Enzo’s brains in reading and math. Simon was his baseball player and all-around sports fan. Sophia was his ballet dancer and drama queen. He loved Evan for his creative imagination in playing with planes, trains, and Star Wars toys. Isabella was his sweetheart, his good little girl, the apple of his eye. We will keep his memory alive for them and all the great-grandchildren to come by continuing to share his life stories. Joe, an avid talker, was known for his creative story telling. We’re expecting he’s already telling stories up in heaven. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
We love you Dad! Protect us and guide us–you will always be in our hearts.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we â?¨forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Visitation will be Mon., Nov. 30 from 7-9 at O’Connor Mortuary in Laguna Hills. Funeral Mass will be on Tues., Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. at St. Timothy Catholic Church. Donations may be made to St. Timothy Knights of Columbus.
11 responses to Joseph Lynn Pesci
Tim Davis says:
November 30, 2009
My deepest condolences to all the Pesci’s, extended family and friends. Joe will always be my wife Allison’s “Uncle Joe”. Living on different coasts I only had the pleasure of being in Joe’s company a handful of times but sensed immediately he was a man of faith and family. He was a good man and a great guy … always with a story and a ready smile. I know how much Joe meant to Allison and her family from the many Pesci-yarns they would pull out at family get togethers… all wonderful stories.
Joe’s spirit will live on through his family and the many friends he touched along his blessed life.
God bless you, Joe.