What Joe meant to me.

I want to tell you what Joe meant to me...I lived on 19th Avenue and I went to St. Finbar's, played basketball in P.S.200.Two cousins who lived downstairs/best friends across the street and grandparents on CropseyNeedless to say I lived a sheltered life.All of the sudden, I met this kid - blond hair/blue eyes, full of life.He tells me that he is new to the area, meanwhile everyone knew him.]’
We played basketball and he took me to all these exotic places:13th Ave./Ave. U/Kings Highway - places I never saw before.He would always tell Dean and I that he was better looking than us.
But we all know the only one better looking than him was his brother AnthonyYou know he was right though because he always had a girl.First there was Christine, then Cheryl, then Theresa.To show you what kind of guy he was, they are all here tonight.Gladys would say to me "Mike look after him"and I would think "Who's going to look after me?"I met his pop only a few times, but I know his death had a deep impact on him,but he never talked about it.Joe was a great friend, but he had a pattern.You would be his friend, then you would have a fight, then he would paint your apartment.My pop said he was a good painter, but he was always on the phoneand there were no cell phones back then - he was on the kitchen phone.Trouble always found Joe, he couldn't see what he had.A good family, a good girlfriend, good friends.He racked up more miles going to Cali. - he could have booked a summer-long tripin Europe if he had frequent flyer miles.He even became best friends with Ronny, because he figured he should be friends with the cops.We all tried but could not help himHe still had trouble seeing what he had.I even gave him a job at Chuck E. Cheese cleaning tables.And he was good, after he watched All My Children at 1:00 right up to the pointwhere he and Rob Froner were selling tokens on the black market.We all hoped something would snap him out of it.Maybe it was meeting Tee and getting married or engaged or that Sweet 16 - whatever that party was.Maybe seeing John, Anthony, Caroline, Michael, Maria and Ginaall have families - nieces and nephews.They all loved their Uncle Joe.And maybe it was his three children - Nicole, JoJo and Jordana.We have to see him through them as they grow.One summer Tee came down to Point Pleasant with Darin, Googie, Angela, and JohannaI was in the pool with the kids and he told me over the phone that next year he would be there.I believed him, but not really.See Joe always had a plan.How do I know?He would be the first to tell you.They need to know he tried - he tried hard.But he couldn't do it.One thing he could not escape was himself.He never found peace.If you ask God to spare him, let him find peace.I truly believe his answer will be "I have."He is at peace and he can see over all of us.

In Loving Memory of Joseph Petrillo January 4, 2009"A beautiful life that came to and end, he died as he lived,everyone's friend. In our hearts a memory will always be kept,of one we loved, and will never forget.

"God grant me the Serenityto accept the things I cannot change Courage to change the things I can and the Wisdom to know the difference.

Angela wrote a poem for her Uncle/godfather Joe:

All lives lost Short or long Sadly yours has passed And I wish God was wrong But He knows whats best For You and I So he put you to rest and shut your eyes You left so fast With no goodbye I miss the past And now its hard not to cry But you're in good hands though it's hard for me You washed away like sand But now your finally FREE.