The world and I have lost the kindest and sweetest husband and Father that ever lived. How can I tell you about the man that made the world go round? How can I show you the scores of lives that were healed and saved by the hands of this skilled surgeon that I called Dad? I will try my best to help you understand what a hero my father was and how he enriched the lives of so many. Joseph Carmine Carpentieri was born on June 17^th, 1927, and passed on March 31^st, 2025. His loving and gentle nature could be felt by everyone. He was born in New Haven, CT on the “infamous” street in Little Italy called Wooster Street. As a young boy he worked with his father Guisseppe and mother Julia Severino at their neighborhood market where they sold Italian delicacies, including homemade sausage and gelato. My Grandparents instilled in him a love of people and a work ethic that never slowed for 97 years. When Dad was 4 years old, he had strabismus, commonly known as a crossed eye, that caused him to wear an eye patch for 10 years. Finally at age 14 he received an operation that corrected his vision and freed him from the patch. This was the reason my father decided to become an Ophthalmologist. Dad’s never-ending drive to help others and prevent suffering was the theme of his entire life and we can see that as we trace his past. After attending Hill House High in New Haven, CT, Dad was accepted into Columbia University, but in 1946 the U.S. government had different plans for him. Unfortunately, the day my father received his draft notice, was also the day that his father Giuseppe died of a heart attack. He soldiered on and served in the Army in Korea as an aid in the infirmary and as a sharp-shooter instructor, where he taught Korean volunteers how to use tactical weapons during the occupation. When he returned home it was off to the “Big Apple” and Columbia University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in 1950 and his Master of Science and Parasitology in 1953. Under the G.I. Bill Dad is accepted into the Universite de Lausanne in Switzerland, where he received his M.D. in 1958. Medical school wasn’t difficult enough, Dad went to a school where the medical textbooks were written in French! During his studies in Lausanne, he completed his clinical clerkship while under the tutelage of renowned Dr. Paul Beeson at Yale University where he met the love of his life and future bride, my loving Mother, Mary Gertrude Mora (Dee for short), while she was studying Nursing at Saint Raphael. The couple would later go on to marry and have 4 lovely children, Mark Carpentieri of Santa Monica, CA, Michelle Carpentieri of Farmington CT, Joe Jr. “Pepe” of NYC and Carla Carpentieri of Naples, FL. The year is now 1959 and Dad is Interning at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT and is transferred to the oldest Obstetrics and Gynecology hospital in existence, The Rotunda Hospital in Dublin Ireland. Founded in 1745 to help the poor women of Ireland, my father delivered 27 babies, mostly in homes on top of raincoats and tablecloths and whatever they had. Dad then goes back to Saint Francis Hospital where he later became one of the first Doctors to perform a corneal transplant.  It’s 1961, Dad and Mom and twins Mark and Michelle are with him during his residency at the District of Columbia Hospital. From 1963-64 yet another residency and fellowship at Georgetown University and The Veterans Administration, Washington, D.C. This is the time that Dad first started his volunteer work at The Lions club. He then went from D.C. to the Country of Belize, where he ran a medical dispensary and provided care in a Country with not a single eye doctor to care for its entire population.  Dad was board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and became a Fellow at The American Academy of Ophthalmology. He was awarded the Melvin Jones Fellow for dedicated humanitarian services by the Lions Club International Foundation. He ran his private practice for 40 years often receiving payment from patients in tomato sauce and red wine. For 29 years he worked as the Hartford Whalers hockey club eye specialist caring for injured players. He often shared his love of wine with them, having tasting parties at his home in Simsbury with the likes of Gordie Howe, Ron Francis and Stu Gavin who became good friends. His love of sports included boxing where he became the ringside physician for the State of CT, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos. Dad was personal physician to Marlon Starling who held the welterweight title for several years. At 90 years old my father would drive with his dear friends Dr. Jerry Bobruff and Dr. Al Cinotti to the Lions club, the only free eye clinic in Florida where they would provide free exams and care for migrant workers and anyone without insurance.

My Father’s life was full, he traveled the globe to help those in need, but he also traveled to experience all the bounty this world has to offer, he read about it, he studied it, and he lived it. His contributions to humanity are incalculable, his love for life and service was infinite, but he was a family man above all else. He spent 60 glorious years with his beloved wife Dee in idyllic, pastoral Simsbury, where they could walk down Iron Horse boulevard and pick corn at Rosedale Farms and raise their family. But it was Naples that truly made my father’s heart sing, at the foot of the mighty Gulf of America, this was the place he wanted to be. I hope you understand the essence of this breathtakingly remarkable and peaceful man whose loss has left us heartbroken.

Memorial services will be held at St. William church (601 Seagate Drive in Naples, Fl), on Tuesday, April 8^th at 9:45am.