Joseph D. Amato, 89, of Cape Canaveral, Florida, passed away on October 28, 2024. Born on January 07, 1935, in Kingston, NY, Joe was the beloved son of the late Joseph and Catherine Amato. Joe was a graduate of Kingston High School and served in the Army National Guard for many years.
After High School, Joe worked at the brick yards in Kingston alongside his father and brothers and enjoyed sharing many of the stories from his time there. In addition, at every family gathering, he would love to tell stories of growing up in Kington’s Ponckhockie neighborhood, his stories are legendary in the family and he could talk for hours about growing up with his sister and brothers there.
Joe worked for IBM for over 30 years, starting in Kingston and then moving to Cocoa Beach, Florida to work on the Apollo Space Mission and later as a manufacturing manager in Austin, Texas. He was most fond of his time with the space program and shared many stories of his involvement in the early days of the program. He also enjoyed his time at the Austin facility and the friends he made there, as he kept in touch with many of them through the years.
Joe was loved by many, and was always ready to help anyone who needed it, both in his work and personal life. An avid sportsman, he served as the IBM Club President in Florida and was very active in playing softball through the years, and especially enjoyed being able to play alongside his two sons.
Joe is survived by his two sons, Jeff and Gary Amato, his brothers Anthony (Red) Amato, and Michael (Shorty) Amato and his sister Bernice Secreto as well as 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Amato.