In Memory Of
Joseph Aceto
1920
2020
Joseph Aceto
April 25, 1920 — May 6, 2020
ACETO, Joseph E. ("Joe"), 100, of Kettering peacefully passed away May 6th at Dayton Hospice. He was the son of Pasquale Aceto and Anna Cacciapaglia. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ruth, of 44 years and son Michael Aceto as well as his brothers Paul, Johnny and Pete Aceto and sisters Ann Composeo, Julie LaRivere and Beatrice Ames. He is survived by his son Joe (Bea) Aceto and daughter Amy (Jim) Taylor, four grandchildren (Sean, Lauren, Danielle and Allie) and one great granddaughter (Julien) as well as his brother Pasquale "NeNe" Aceto.
He graduated from Manchester, CT High School in 1938. A defining moment in his life was when he was selected for Officers Training in 1943 with the Army Air Corps. He served our nation during WWII as a navigator on a B-17G bomber and completed 32 missions in Europe while ultimately achieving the rank of Major before starting his civilian career with the Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He then worked with the Logistics Air Command during which time he was awarded the Air Force's highest civilian award before retiring as a senior manager in 1993.
He began playing the tenor saxophone in high school and in 1949 he formed the 15 piece Joe Aceto Orchestra which played big band music for many years throughout the Dayton area. He served as bandleader for almost 70 years and played his last "gig" at the impressive age of 98.
He is fondly remembered as a humble man of the Greatest Generation who never talked about the war or his job unless asked. He was a man of few words but when he talked, people listened and learned. He was a kind and selfless parent who instilled his values in his children and grandchildren. His favorite sayings were "any job worth doing is worth doing right" and "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar" which exemplified his values of hard work and diplomacy. He also taught his children and grandchildren the value of investing which will help seed the financial well-being for future generations.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date when it is safe to do so. We will all toast to his secret for a long life: A VO Perfect Manhattan straight up with a twist of lemon.
A special thank you to his caregiver and friend, Jeff Fitzgerald, who provided compassionate care and love to our Dad as well as Aiste Maksvytyte and Donn and Cathy Kremmel who also provided kind care.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to Hospice of Dayton Foundation located at 324 Wilmington Avenue, Dayton, OH 45420 who provided amazing end-of-life care to our Dad.
To share a memory of Joe or leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.
He graduated from Manchester, CT High School in 1938. A defining moment in his life was when he was selected for Officers Training in 1943 with the Army Air Corps. He served our nation during WWII as a navigator on a B-17G bomber and completed 32 missions in Europe while ultimately achieving the rank of Major before starting his civilian career with the Air Force at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He then worked with the Logistics Air Command during which time he was awarded the Air Force's highest civilian award before retiring as a senior manager in 1993.
He began playing the tenor saxophone in high school and in 1949 he formed the 15 piece Joe Aceto Orchestra which played big band music for many years throughout the Dayton area. He served as bandleader for almost 70 years and played his last "gig" at the impressive age of 98.
He is fondly remembered as a humble man of the Greatest Generation who never talked about the war or his job unless asked. He was a man of few words but when he talked, people listened and learned. He was a kind and selfless parent who instilled his values in his children and grandchildren. His favorite sayings were "any job worth doing is worth doing right" and "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar" which exemplified his values of hard work and diplomacy. He also taught his children and grandchildren the value of investing which will help seed the financial well-being for future generations.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date when it is safe to do so. We will all toast to his secret for a long life: A VO Perfect Manhattan straight up with a twist of lemon.
A special thank you to his caregiver and friend, Jeff Fitzgerald, who provided compassionate care and love to our Dad as well as Aiste Maksvytyte and Donn and Cathy Kremmel who also provided kind care.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to Hospice of Dayton Foundation located at 324 Wilmington Avenue, Dayton, OH 45420 who provided amazing end-of-life care to our Dad.
To share a memory of Joe or leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Joseph Aceto, please visit our flower store.
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