Obituary for
Joe Francese
It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness we announce the sudden passing of Joe Francese on January 23, 2020 at the age of 49 years.
Joe will be lovingly remembered by his loving and devoted wife, Holly; his adoring young children Leonardo, Sofia, and Francesca; his mother, Maria Francese; sister, Antonietta (Robert) Borrelli; brother, Riccardo (Megan) Francese; mother-in-law, Susan Machtans; and sisters-in-law, Jennifer (Mike) Carter and Patricia Machtans; nieces and nephews, Michael, Tessa, Michael, Nolan and Hannah. Joe was predeceased by his father, Michele Francese; and father-in-law, Dirk Machtans. He will be lovingly remembered and missed by all who knew him.
Although he would not talk openly about the impact on his own wellbeing, over the last number of years, Joe was involved in a business ordeal that unfortunately, had an unintentional but significant financial impact on a number of his former clients. Joe, along with his business partner made strenuous efforts to recover funds. We believe the stress of this endeavour caused the heart failure that ultimately led to his untimely passing. Although they were exonerated, it would be important to Joe that his former clients understand he would have done anything necessary and felt a tremendous responsibility to make them whole. Unfortunately, that dream would not be realized while he was alive.
Joe was a kind and generous soul with enormous strength of character. He loved his family so much and his happy place was running Vaticano Cucina along with his wife and soulmate Holly. They worked tirelessly to make the restaurant a success and provide a good life for their beautiful family. Joe was a very sharp dresser and always stood out when he walked into a room. He had a quick and witty sense of humour and enjoyed making people laugh. Joe had a tremendous and lasting impact on all who knew him. He was an amazing husband, father, son, brother, uncle, colleague, and friend and our hearts are broken that he is no longer with us. Rest in peace our beloved Joe.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who have reached out to express their condolences and share their stories and memories of Joe. It has provided much comfort during this extremely difficult time.
Funeral Liturgy Thursday January 30 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church, 210 Haddow Close, Edmonton. In lieu of other tributes, donations may be made directly to the Kid’s Kottage Foundation, 10107 – 134 Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5E 1J2, a charity that has always been close to Joe’s heart.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Joe
Francese 1970 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta