A graveside service for Brooklyn native and World War II combat veteran Joseph Finamore, Sr. will be held Thursday morning on Long Island.
Finamore died Saturday in Florida. He was 100.
The retired riveter served in Germany before finding employment on multiple city structures including skyscrapers and the Pan Am hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport. He also served as an ironworker on the Brooklyn Bridge, according to his family.
“Even though he lived to be 100 we still don’t think it was long enough,” his son Joseph Finamore Jr. told the Daily News by phone.
Joseph Finamore, left, was honored at a 2022 Mets game, and was given a flag by pitcher Tyler McGill. (New York Mets / MLB)
Finamore was born on a house on Front Street in the neighborhood now known as DUMBO. He was a Daily News reader when the paper cost a nickel.
One of Finamore’s greatest regrets, according to his son, was not saving the ticket stub he received from seeing Jackie Robinson’s first game at Ebbets Field. After the Dodgers left Brooklyn, Finamore became a Yankees fan. That didn’t stop him from being honored for his military service during a 2022 Mets game at Citi Field. His son said his dad was a supporter of all New York sports teams.
“Joe lived a life marked by faith, dedication to family, and character,” according to his obituary.
Joseph Finamore is pictured with fellow soldier and Brooklynite Charlie Strahm during WWII. (Courtesy Photo)
Finamore played softball before taking up golf in his early 80s. He stuck with golf until he was around 95. Finamore also enjoyed bowling and billiards.
His obituary said that, more than anything, the former soldier enjoyed spending time with family and friends in Bayville, N.J.
Finamore was married twice. He’s survived by a daughter, two sons, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Joseph Finamore, Sr. was honored by the New York Mets in 2022. (New York Mets / MLB)
“My grandfather was a great man and the foundation of our family,” his grandson Matt Finamore said in an email. “He lived a proud, long life and has given us all many fond memories. I only wish we could have made more.”
Finamore will be laid to rest at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale.