Joseph Taormina

Joseph A. Taormina was born on November 13th, 1941 in Cleveland, OH to Frank and Margaret Taormina. He grew up in San Jose, California, and retired in Eagle Idaho in 2007. He passed away in his home on July 20, 2018. Joseph is predeceased by his parents, Frank & Margaret Taormina, and his brother-in-law, Marko Trapani. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Taormina. His 9 children: Liz (Roger) DeAmicis, Christine (Ernie) Gentile, Ginny (Emilio) Crespo, Kim (Steven) Stewart, Joey (Tina) Taormina, Michele Quesnell, Theresa (Jorge) Alvarez, Trisha (Robert) Vogel, & Michael Taormina; His 22 grandchildren: Natalie DeAmicis, Lisa (James) Johnson, Ryan (Shelbz) DeAmicis, Josh Gentile, Zach Gentile, Nicolas (Jennifer) Crespo, Tomas Crespo, Lucas Crespo, Marcus Crespo, Christianna Stewart, Daria (Nick) Maugeri, Isaiah Stewart, Tabitha Stewart, Noah Stewart, Joey Taormina, Brianna Taormina, Jacob Taormina, Jonathan Juri, Shelby Juri, Shane Juri, Jr., Alicia Alvarez, Freddy Vogel; His 4 great-grandchildren; Lydia & Levi Maugeri, Niya Lynn Valdivia, due in February baby Johnson; His 2 sisters, RoseAnn (Chuck) Janda, & Marlene Trapani, of San Jose, CA; his one niece and eight nephews: Jeff Janda, Ron Janda, Greg Janda, Jennifer (Janda) Granath, Gerry Janda, David Trapani, Marko Trapani, Chris Trapani, & Andy Trapani. My Dad by Ginny Crespo My Dad was a good man.He was faithful and steady. He had a sharp mind and a twinkle in his eye. He loved his wife and he loved his family. With the love of his life, he built our big beautiful family . It wasn’t easy. It was complicated. With the Lord they built something rare and beautiful! When the going got tough, my Dad got tougher!My Dad enjoyed his family. He loved his nine children and their spouses. He loved his 22 grandchildren and his three great grand children and the one on the way! He deposited that love for family in me. My Dad told me not to long ago, “ the way you love your family Ginny, you got that from me.” He said, “ Id like to think I had something to do with that!” He was Dad to me and Papa Joe to my boys. I will treasure our countless get togethers and family celebrations. Each filled with sharing, telling family stories, playing cards and games, eating together, laughing and crying. I have so many lovely memories visiting with him and enjoying his company. I looked forward to his visits and will treasure them in my heart. I will miss our conversations, I will miss asking him questions, I will miss knowing that my Dad is always there.My Dad was special to each of my siblings and their families. Each having their unique relationship with him. Even with so many of us, he managed to have special moments and fun memories with each of his nine children. We will be sharing our special stories for the rest of our lives. Whenever I hear a ball game on the radio, I think of my Dad and I always will! Dad, I am so grateful for the time I had with you, I’m grateful for the way our relationship grew into something so beautiful to me. You were so loved Dad. You absolutely knew it! Thank you Dad for being the man that you were. I will miss you so much. You Belong by Christine Gentile Our Dad expressed the heart of our heavenly Father in many tangible and immeasurable ways. Dad didn’t seek a myriad of finicky followers on Instagram and didn’t focus on gathering Facebook friends either-especially after his account was hijacked. What he treasured was his beautiful wife of 45 years and a loyal tribe of 9 die-hard devotees, their spouses, their children and their children, many family members and friendships cultivated over the years that would follow him just about anywhere. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”(New International Version, Matt. 6:21). Dad certainly inherited some family traits: a gesture, a tone, a look that said, “That’s a Taormina!” Then add in the character qualities that Dad’s family valued most: a strong work ethic, determination, hospitality to name a few. What set Dad apart though, was his unique calling and gifting that our heavenly Father bestowed on him. Dad had his Fathers eyes and that unique bit of heavenly DNA allowed him to look at life as it should be and as it could be. He was inclusive with everyone he met and embodied a spirit of generosity. Anyone that came through Dad’s front door would share a sense of belonging as though they had come home and they were part of his family. He taught us by example to open our arms, our hearts and our refrigerators to anyone who graced our lives. Dad’s trendy jacket may have said “MEMBERS ONLY” but his heart said, “You belong”. Because he looked at life as it should be, there was no division, no hierarchy, everyone had a place at Dad’s table. He knew that “belonging” was no small thing and as a young man in his mid-thirty’s he would be challenged to master this understanding. Through family tragedies and traumatic events there came to be a sizeable tribe of devastated young kiddos. Not one of us was left unscathed. It was through no fault of our own that some of us had been abandoned, orphaned, neglected, some of us abused, left hungry, frightened, forgotten and alone. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”(New International Version, Psalm 34:18). Well, our Dad and Mom didn’t waste time contemplating what to do. They didn’t count the cost. They didn’t wonder about the risk and how vulnerable bringing us all together might make them emotionally, physically or financially. But rather, Dad spoke in a familial way, leaned on his family values of unbridled determination and looked at life as it should be and simply fulfilled his calling. Dad went about his business bringing order and consistency and a sense of belonging to each one of us, turning us into the die-hard devotees we are today. Dad continued his profound and simple message throughout his life, “You belong”. As humans sometimes we crave belonging to the point that our very wellness hinges on our perception of whether or not we belong. Sometimes knowing the origin of our name, identifying with our tribe or our clan can help us as we wrestle with these critical questions of the heart. Where do I belong? Who do I belong to? How do I belong? No matter where you are in life, you can still picture yourself as a son and as a daughter and know that our heavenly Father answers all of these questions most definitively. Christ himself broke down the barrier, He Himself is our peace and has reconciled us to our Father and now we have direct access to Him. “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.” (New International Version, Eph. 2:19). Thank you for being here today and celebrating memories with us and sharing our Dad’s life message with others. *See "Service Information" tab for service details. For video tributes, please click links below My Father’s Eyes compiled by Audra https://youtu.be/h29SKoiOefU Liz tribute https://youtu.be/8Bwa04GQltg Michael’s tribute https://youtu.be/n1CRKUpAeaQ Joey’s tribute https://youtu.be/M0h0ItcqiZo Grandkids sing “Grandpa” https://youtu.be/ta7gzf_p8LY To view pictures of Joe and his family, please click on “Picture and Video” tab at this Shutterfly link https://rememberingjat.shutterfly.com/