Joseph "Joe" H. Marchione

Joseph “Joe” H. Marchione, lifelong resident of Rockford, passed away peacefully on June 30, 2021 surrounded by his family.
He was born on September 11, 1927, the son of Sam and Rose Marchione. He married the love of his life, Sandra, on March 19, 1960 at St. Anthony’s Church. They shared 61 years of marriage.
Joe graduated from West High School in 1945. He is veteran of the United States Army, serving in the Army Artillery operations as a radio operator in Yugoslavia and Italy during WWII.
Joe retired in 1988 after 30 years of employment at Atwood Industries as an automotive component designer and inventor with 9 patents in his name.
After retirement, he started painting in oils and was a very talented artist. He also loved music and composed several songs. He was so creative and could do whatever he set his mind to do. In 1989, he was 1 of 4 in the United States to win a sweepstakes drawing thru Glidden Paint for a 5 minute shopping spree at Builder’s Square in Rockford.
Joe enjoyed watching sports, especially the Cubs and Bears. He also enjoyed Golf and doing crossword puzzles. He and Sandy loved traveling, to Europe, 12 countries, and on many Tri-State tours in the U.S. His wonderful sense of humor, kindness, love and so many other wonderful traits will be missed by all of us.
Joe is survived by his loving wife, Sandy, daughter, Tracy (John) Towner and son, Greg (Junhui) Marchione; his beloved grandchildren, Tara and Ryan Towner, Joey and Mike Marchione, sisters-in-law, Libby Poliak and Barbara Sink, and several nieces and nephews.
He is predeceased by his parents, Brother, Sam (Mary) Marchione and sister, Josephine (Tom) Ciaccio and many friends.
The family would like to give special thanks to the caring nurses at OSF Hospice and wonderful caregivers; Lily, Jurga and Marta.
A Celebration of Joe’s Life will be held on Saturday, July 17, 2021 at Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, 1860 S. Mulford Rd. Rockford, IL 61108, with a Visitation from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. with a Funeral Service at 3:00 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Holy Family Catholic Church for a special memorial Mass in Joe’s honor. Funeral Arrangements are entrusted by Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory.