Obituary of Michael A. Paticchio

Michael A. Paticchio, 94, formerly of Basking Ridge, Watchung and Plainfield, died on October 2, 2015 in Hingham, Massachusetts, where he resided for the past year. Born on May 30, 1921 to Michelangelo and Louisa Paticchio in North Plainfield, Michael grew up in Plainfield, and graduated from Plainfield High School in 1938. He attended Newark University and served in the United States Army from 1942-1945 in New Guinea, The Philippines and Japan. Following his military discharge at the end of World War II, Michael returned to Plainfield, graduated from Rutgers Law School in Newark, and was admitted to the New Jersey Bar in 1948. He maintained his practice in Plainfield until 1982 when he joined the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office as a trial attorney. In 1984 he joined Kunzman, Coley, Yospin and Bernstein in Warren as Counsel. In retirement he enjoyed tending his tomato garden, volunteering with the Warren Garden Club and local community organizations, and, together with his wife Helen, visiting and spending time with their children and grandchildren. As a young lawyer, Michael served as President of the Union County Young Republicans, as State Counsel for the Young Republicans, and as Commissioner of Assessments and Assistant City Attorney in Plainfield. He served for many years as counsel to the Plainfield Rescue Squad. Michael was Municipal Court Judge in South Plainfield and Watchung, and served terms as President of the Middlesex County Municipal Judges’ Association and the Somerset County Municipal Judges’ Association. During the years he lived in Watchung, he served as a member of the Watchung Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment. Michael was a member of many fraternal organizations, including The Knights of Columbus, Lion’s Club, Junior Chamber of Commerce and VFW in Plainfield, the Italian American Social Club in North Plainfield, and Unico International. He was for many years a Lector at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Plainfield and at St Mary’s Stony Hill in Watchung. In 2004, Michael was inducted into the Plainfield High School Hall of Fame. Michael was predeceased by his sister, Rae Louisa Paticchio, in 1993, and by his beloved wife of 57 years, Helen (Hogan) Paticchio, in 2009. He is survived by his five children and twelve grandchildren: Anthony and his wife, Susan Eastwood, of Ashford, Connecticut, and their children, Aidan and Emma; Michael and his wife, Stephanie, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, and their children, Joseph, Jamie and Daniel; Elissa Cullen, of Lambertville, New Jersey, and her children, Kerry and Joshua; Donna and her husband, James French, of Cohasset, Massachusetts, and their children, James and Katherine; and Maura and her husband, Lee Krueger, of Canton, Massachusetts, and her children, Justin, Leah and Seth. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday October 10, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. at St James Roman Catholic Church in Basking Ridge. Family and friends may gather on Friday October 9, 2015 between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at Higgins Home for Funerals, 752 Mountain Blvd., Watchung, NJ. Memorial contributions in Michael’s name may be made to St. Anthony’s Guild and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.