Joseph J. Curley

Joseph J. Curley, a life-long Pittsfield resident, passed away peacefully on July 25th at Mount Carmel Care Center in Lenox. Joe was born to Thomas Curley and Mary Andreotta Curley, and was the youngest of six children. He attended Pittsfield High School.

His first job was at Elmvale Dye Works where he met Ruth Finizola, the love of his life and to whom he was married for over 65 years.  Shortly after their marriage he began working for the City of Pittsfield first in the Water Department and then the Wastewater Department. Joe was a hard worker, and worked his way up from an entry level position repairing the water systems to become the Assistant Superintendent of the Pittsfield Wastewater Treatment Plant, a position he held for 15 years before transferring to become the Superintendent of the Pittsfield Water Treatment Plant, which he worked at for 5 years. In all, he worked for the City for 38 years.

Joe enjoyed spending time at the ocean, sometimes vacationing at Cape Cod or with his niece Diane at Ocean Grove, NJ. His Greek sailor’s cap was one of his favorite hats to wear especially when at the shore. He took pleasure in his Brighton Avenue home and lived there happily for many years with Ruth and his sons.

Joe is survived by his son Wayne Curley and his wife Barbara Felitti, son Joseph P. Curley, and by many loving nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his beloved wife, Ruth Curley and his siblings Bernard, Thomas, Francis, William and Marie.

A very special thank you to all of the staff at Mount Carmel Care Center in Lenox who took such wonderful care of Joe over the past year and a half.

No in-person memorial service is planned. Family and friends are encouraged to share their memories on the tribute wall. For those who wish to make a memorial donation, please donate in Joe’s name to the charity of your choice.

Joe would like to leave you with one of his favorite poems, "The Dash" by Linda Ellis:

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning… to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the following date with tears,

But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time they spent alive on earth

and now only those who loved them know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own, the cars… the house… the cash.

What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard; are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left that still can be rearranged.

To be less quick to anger and show appreciation more

and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile… remembering that this special dash might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read, with your life’s actions to rehash,

would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?