Obituary of Joseph Scalzo

Joseph Thomas Scalzo, 84, of Freehold Township passed away on Friday, April 14, 2017 at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune. Joseph was born and raised in Brooklyn. After raising his family in Queens, he moved to New Jersey and eventually settled in Freehold Township in 2007. Joseph was a zookeeper at Prospect Park Zoo for over twenty years until his retirement. He was a parishioner of St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, Freehold Township. Joseph relished spending time in the kitchen, where he would make a mean eggplant and chicken parmigiana. He was also a pretty crafty poker player and also shot a good game of pool. Always enjoying a good vodka tonic, Joseph loved to dance and listen to Doo-Wop music. He was a fan of the Mets and Giants. Joseph was predeceased by his wife, Dorothy in 1998. He is survived by his children, Donna Malia and her husband, Gregory of Liverpool, NY, Joanne Battaglia and her husband, Anthony of Freehold Township, and Dorothy Bukowski of Seaford, NY; six grandchildren, Thanh, Valerie and her husband, Connor, Nicole and her wife, Megan, Jaime, Ian, and Chloe. Visitation will be held at the Clayton & McGirr Funeral Home, 100 Elton-Adelphia Road (Route 524), Freehold Township on Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 2:00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Relatives and friends are invited to attend his 12:30 PM graveside service at St. Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale, Long Island. Interment will follow. For information, directions or condolence messages to the family, visit www.claytonfuneralhome.com.