Obituary of Joseph M. DeFalco

Joe DeFalco

1929 – 2024

Obituary of Joseph Mario Philip DeFalco

Joseph Mario Philip DeFalco (Joe DeFalco) passed away on October 27, 2024, at the age of 95.  Joe is survived by his four loving children - JoAnn, Albert, Linda, and Joseph; his six grandchildren - Lori, Michael, Michele, Nicole, Kristi, and Taylor; and his ten great grandchildren - Jayson, Casey, Sloane, James, Sophie, Penelope, Jessie, Brody, Ava, and Ryder.  His is preceded in death by his five brothers Tom, Al, Phil, John, and Frank. 

Joe was quite an amazing man.  He was a Butcher, a Hunter, an Author, and a TV Personality. 

Early Life

Joe was born in 1929 in Queens, New York.  He was one of six brothers.  Joe was of Italian descent.  Although Joe’s original neighborhood in Queens was not always the safest place, having six, strong Italian sons certainly helped to keep his parents safe.  Joe loved his brothers, and frequently spoke fondly of them.  Anyone who knew Joe, knew his passion was rifles and Deer hunting.  After serving in the army, where he further learned about rifles and ammunition, Joe started his career as a butcher which quickly made him an expert in field dressing a Deer.  Joe met his wife, Gloria, when he went with his father to buy a butcher shop that Gloria’s father owned.  Joe and Gloria had four children together: JoAnn, Albert, Linda, and Joseph.  Although some hunting enthusiasts shot Deer just for sport, that was never Joe.  Joe loved everything about the hunt – the comradery of men meeting up and preparing for the hunt, the meals together with friends, the shared hunting stories, the planning and execution of the hunt itself, and, of course, the thrill of getting that Trophy Deer.  But for Joe, there was one additional love.  Joe genuinely loved cooking and eating venison and he made a point to never waste any part of the Deer.    

The Rise of a Hunting Legend

Realizing that he had an expertise in rifles, ammunition, hunting, butchering, field dressing, and leadership, Joe started organizing annual hunting trips where people would engage Joe, and his professional guides, to take them hunting.  Although upstate New York in Sullivan County was his preferred area to hunt, Joe has hunted all over the country including, Mule Deer in Wyoming. 

As his legend in the world of hunting began to grow, Joe wrote a book called, “The Complete Deer Hunt” that acted as a “How to Manual” for hunters wanting to learn more about the hunt.  As his celebrity and following grew, Joe started having annual “Hunting Shows” at various venues, where he would share his love of hunting with a packed house of fans and enthusiasts.  Most times, the crowds were so large, that people would stand outside in line, just to get in.  Joe’s guests would include famous Boxers, Football players, Baseball players, Soccer players, and other sport celebrities.  Because of his crowds, it was not uncommon for local politicians to come by, just to give a speech and shake hands.  Joe was a big supporter of the Police and frequently had them as friends and guests at his shows.  Joe’s following grew so large that Sports Illustrated did a feature story on him.  Joe was one of only a few hunters who ever grazed the pages of Sport Illustrated at that time. 

Other Interesting Facts About Joe

In addition to Gloria, Joe was also married to Elenor and later to Natacha. 

Joe was an amazing shot.  People have witnessed him make shots that others thought were impossible.  As much as Joe loved hunting, he also loved the environment and was a big fan of preservation and conservation.  Although Joe was a big gun enthusiast and fan of the Second Amendment, he did not believe that people needed machine guns to hunt.  Joe believed in keeping the hunt fair, and he was quoted as saying, “I never met a man who needed a machine gun to hunt”. 

Joe had a Den that was a hunter’s dream.  It was filled with his many taxidermist trophies of Deer and other animals.  It had Deer hoof lamps, Deer images, and even Deer sayings.  Joe’s Den also included pictures of Joe with many of the celebrities that he knew through the years.  On Joe’s front lawn there was – you guessed it – a Deer.  Joe loved to cook and one of his favorite things to cook was venison. 

Later in life, with several friends and associates, Joe bought a large parcel of land upstate New York that they called, “Top of the World Estates”.  Although it had some bumps along the way, it ultimately gave Joe a nest egg for him to enjoy later in life.  After Top of the World sold, Joe moved to Florida where he started buying horses.  Joe loved horses so much that he wrote a book called, “Winning Ways.”  Joe eventually left Florida and came back to New York where he lived until his passing.  

Joe passed peacefully and without pain, in his Den, surrounded by his Trophy Deer and people who loved him.   

Joe DeFalco was truly one of a kind and he will be missed.