Joseph Patrick Craven, Jr.

Joseph Patrick Craven Jr., age 87, was called home to God on October 13, 2023, reunited with his parents, Joseph Patrick Craven Sr. and Ann (Kelly) Craven, his brother Patrick Craven, and sisters Nancy Devery and Marion Limbacher. Born in Mount Vernon, New York, he attended Tuckahoe High School, where he was a stand-out football star and where he met his future wife, Ellen Sciarpelletti. He and Ellen were blessed with four children. A resident of Nanuet, New York and Hackensack, New Jersey for nearly 40 years, Joe retired to Venice, Florida in 2009. He is survived by his children, Joseph Patrick Craven III and his wife Nancy of Hingham, MA, Claire Bacher and her husband Dan, of Monroe, NY, Jacqueline Elfers and her husband Paul of Monroe, NY, and Kathleen Craven Hanbury and Michael Hanbury of Nashville, TN; as well as eleven grandchildren: JP, Deirdre, Conor and Brian; Emily and Rachel; PJ, Alex and Bryce (and her husband, Kenny); and Carleigh and Brenna. He is also survived by his younger brother, Frank and his wife Maryanne of Bronxville, NY, as well as many nieces and nephews, relatives and friends, all of whom he held in deep affection. Joe was the proud son of Irish immigrants, both from County Offaly, and humbly appreciated the opportunity to serve his country as a soldier in the U.S. Army stationed in Korea. He instilled in his children and grandchildren, alike, his relentless work ethic, inherited from his mother and synonymous with his parents’ immigrant community. Joe attended Cortland State and played football before joining the U.S. Army. His full time “day” job was as a structural designer, working at Burns and Roe in Oradell, NJ for forty years. In addition to this full-time career in which he worked on major infrastructure projects such as nuclear power plants, many knew Joe best for his weekends tending bar at the 42 Club in Scarsdale, Bully Boy in Congers, and finally Craven’s Pub in Bronxville, which his two brothers, Pat and Frank, owned. Joe was a life-long athlete and lover of all things having to do with New York sports, from professional football and baseball to New Jersey high school football. He grew up a New York Giants baseball fan, waxing on about the greatness of Willie “the Say Hey Kid” Mays – but, really loved watching his grandchildren play all sports, and was never afraid to offer them his unsolicited coaching. After his 50th, Joe became an avid skier and golfer, enjoying annual ski trips with his ski club “out west”, as well as Europe and South America. He became a pretty decent golfer, having played as a member of the Venice Golf and Country Club for the last fourteen years, playing his last round this April with his “Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday” golf group, who became some of his closest friends. Joe spoke fondly of his family’s ancestral home in Tullamore, Ireland, visiting with his mother on her last trip Home, which trip included four generations of Cravens. He never found an Irish pub in which he didn’t feel immediately at home. Guinness in hand, he was always more-than-willing to share unsolicited wisdom on how to cook a proper baked potato with unsuspecting restaurant staff. In retirement, Joe was known for holding court in his beloved bar at Venice Golf and Country Club, endearing himself to all with his searingly dry Irish wit and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of tales and jokes. A bartender at heart, he sometimes found his way in when the club was closed, went behind the bar and poured his own Guinness, but he always left a “chit” behind – “Joe Craven 2 Guinness.” He most cherished his relationships with the bar and golf staff members at the Club, speaking often of his friends at the bar, wait staff, pro-shop and cart room, and always making sure to show off his grandchildren to them whenever they were visiting. He will be missed dearly by many. There will be a viewing and blessing on Friday, October 20th, at Toale Brothers Funeral Home, 140 E. Venice Avenue, Venice, FL from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. A reception for friends will be held in remembrance of Joe from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Venice Golf and Country Club Clubhouse, 250 Venice Golf Club Drive, Venice, FL. A funeral mass will be held in celebration of Joe’s life on Saturday, November 4th at 9:45 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Church in Bronxville, NY, with a reception to follow. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully and gratefully requests that donations be made to two charities that were very personal to Dad: the VGCC Foundation - Bleu George Memorial Scholarship (www.vgccfoundation.org), created in honor of Bleu George, a golf professional who Dad loved and who died tragically very young; and Tunnel to Towers Foundation (www.t2t.org), remembering those who served on 9/11, including his nephew Christopher Craven, who remains a proud alum of The Bravest - FDNY.

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Joseph Patrick Craven, Jr.

October 13, 2023