Joseph F. Leonetti, 83, funeral-home operator

Joseph F. Leonetti, 83, who operated a Leonetti Funeral Home on South Broad Street for more than 55 years, died Wednesday, Jan. 18, of Lewy body dementia at home in Marlton.

Mr. Leonetti grew up in South Philadelphia, where his father, Charles, owned a livery service and flower shop, servicing area funeral homes. In 1942, Charles opened his own funeral home at 12th and Moore and later moved to Broad and Wolf.

Mr. Leonetti drove a limousine and helped out with funerals while attending South Philadelphia High School. He joined the business after graduating from Eccles Mortuary School in Philadelphia.

For decades, he, his father, and his brother-in-law, Chuck Giovanetti, handled funeral arrangements for prominent Philadelphians.

On Oct. 16, 1959, 12,000 mourners filed through the funeral home to view the body of Mario Lanza. The opera and film star, a native of Philadelphia, died of a pulmonary embolism at 38.

The Daily News reported that 23 police officers controlled a crowd that filed pass the open casket from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. One woman collapsed after viewing the body and died on the way to the hospital.

Mr. Leonetti and Giovanetti operated the funeral home after Charles retired in 1980, and Mr. Leonetti ran it on his own after Giovanetti died in 1998.

In 2005, Mr. Leonetti sold the funeral home because his health was declining. He was hoping the business would continue and was heartbroken when the building was torn down and replaced with a bank, said his wife, Linda Maiuro Leonetti.

"He loved people and wanted to serve the community," she said. "He had a wonderful smile; all the old-timers loved him."

Besides his work, Mr. Leonetti's passion was golf, his wife said. He played at Medford Village Country Club, where he was a co-owner, and in Naples, Fla., in the winter. He and his wife had a summer home in Ventnor Heights.

Besides his wife of 16 years, Mr. Leonetti is survived by daughters Arlene Avellino, Carla Rossano, and Lisa Leonetti; a son, Charles; a sister; and seven grandchildren. His first wife, Rose Ann DiBernardino Leonetti, died in 1994.

Friends may call from 8:30 to 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, at Monti-Rago Funeral Home, 2531 S. Broad St. A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. at Epiphany of Our Lord Church, 11th and Jackson Streets. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon.

Donations may be made to Samaritan Hospice, 5 Eves Dr., Suite 300, Marlton, N.J. 08053.