Joseph N. Zannino Jr. biography: 13 things about mortician born in Clarksburg, West Virginia

Who was Joseph N. Zannino Jr?

Joseph Nickolas Zannino Jr. was an Italian-American mortician who served in the United States Army. He owned the Joseph N. Zannino Jr. Funeral Home in Baltimore, Maryland, United States.

Joseph Jr. went to Our Lady of Pompei Elementary School in New York City, New York, USA, Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, Baltimore County, Maryland and The American Academy of Embalming and Mortuary Research, New York in New York City. He was born in Clarksburg, Harrison County, West Virginia, USA to Joseph Nickolas Zannino Sr. and Rosa DeVono Zannino.

Born in Pazzano, Città Metropolitana di Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy, Joseph Sr. died in Clarksburg on October 31, 1961 at age 67. Born in Harrison County to Joseph Devono and Catherine Desmond Devono, Rosa died in Baltimore on March 5, 1996 at age 89.

Born in 1924, Joseph Jr.’s brother Salvatore Joseph “Big Sam” Zannino promoted professional fights in Baltimore. Big Sam was last seen alive on June 18, 1952 while en route to New York and was presumed dead after disappearing.

For several years, Joseph Jr. portrayed Christopher Columbus on the float in the Columbus Parade in Baltimore. He and his wife Maria Santa Glorioso Zannino have eight children together namely Joseph Nickolas Zannino III, Rosemarie Zannino Law, Charles S. Zannino, Felicia Zannino Baker, Salvatrice Zannino Marziale, Kathleen Zannino Mangione, Salvatore Vincent Zannino, also known as Vincent de Paul, and Domenico Zannino.

Aside from being a charter member of the Lord Baltimore Lodge, a chapter of The Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) in Baltimore, Joseph Jr. was also a member of Our Lady of Pompei Church, Catholic War Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Fraternal Order of Eagles and Fraternal Order of Foresters. Here are 13 more things about him:

1. In 1941, he and his family moved to Baltimore.
2. From 1950 to 1952, he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean Confict where he processed thousands of deceased soldiers for identification for return to their respective homelands.
3. In 1954, he became a licensed mortician.
4. In 1957, he and Maria Santa got married with Constance Fava Piracci as the maid of honor and Andrea Mastellone as the best man.
5. In 1958, he founded the Joseph N. Zannino Jr. Funeral Home.
6. In 1965, Maria Santa joined him at the Joseph N. Zannino Jr. Funeral Home as the funeral director.
7. From 1965 to 1976, he served as president of the Lord Baltimore Lodge.
8. In 2010, he received the Columbus Award.
9. On March 5, 2012, his sister Margaret Rose Zannino Mastellone died in Maryland at age 85.
10. On August 24, 2013, his wife Maria Santa died in Maryland at age 80.
11. On December 11, 2014, his sister Kathleen DeVono Zannino Corasaniti died in Maryland at age 91.
12. On September 30, 2016, he turned 88.
13. On March 6, 2017, he died in Baltimore.

Joseph Jr.’s daughter Kathleen gave birth to MariaSanta Zannino Mangione in January 1990, Lucia Zannino Mangione in June 1992 and Luigi Nicholas Zannino Mangione on May 6, 1998 all at Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson. Luigi allegedly fatally shot UnitedHealthcare chief executive officer Brian Thompson in Manhattan, New York City on December 4, 2024 and was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, USA on December 9, 2024.