Joseph A. Bartolotta

Joseph A. Bartolotta, 82, of West Haven entered into eternal rest Monday, March 24th, at Yale New Haven Hospital after a brief illness.

Joe was born August 29, 1942 in Milford, the son of August and Teresa Benefico Bartolotta. A graduate of Milford High School, he also attended Eli Whitney Technical School and The Connecticut School of Electronics. He was a U.S. Army veteran and served as an MP in the reserves from 1962 to 1968. In 1968, he began working for a printing supply company as a salesman and this became his career until his retirement in 2009. He was a very successful sales person, selling the first digital printing system for his company.

Skip, as he was known to family, was a kind and generous man. He engaged the people around him with jokes, a smile and his magnetic personality. His humor, friendliness and his enjoyment of life brightened the spirits of everyone around him.

Joe was deeply aware of the presence of Christ in his life and during his years as a member of Our Lady of Victory Parish, he regularly volunteered in the activities of his parish. He sold raffle tickets, worked at the carnivals, and served as a sacristan and Eucharistic minister.

He met Ardell Mathews, his wife of nearly 59 years, whom he loved with an uncompromising passion, when they were both teenagers attending CYO and the Miraculous Medal Novena at St. Gabriel’s Church. During Covid, when church services were halted, they both missed the Sunday Mass that he and Ardell went every morning to church, just to sit quietly and pray in the presence of Jesus. These last few years, he and Ardell went back to where they began by attending the Miraculous Medal Novena together on Monday nights at Precious Blood Parish and attending daily Mass.

He was an avid athlete and sports fan. He loved to simultaneously root for and jeer the New York Yankees. As a younger man he played basketball at the YMCA in New Haven, after one too many elbows to the head a friend convinced him to take up jogging, and he was immediately hooked. His jogging accomplishments included a marathon and completing at least 15 New Haven Labor Day 20K road races. He also enjoyed playing tennis with Ardell and for numerous years they challenged themselves to play at least once outside in each of the 12 calendar months. Joe eventually found his way to coaching youth sports starting with Little League baseball. He seemed to take even more joy than the kids when they would finally get a hit. Due to the lack of a basketball coach, and the slight nudging of the 3rd grade teacher, who happened to be his wife, he became the Our Lady of Victory 7th & 8th grade boys’ basketball coach. He endured many up and down seasons, but it was all worthwhile, when he coached the team to the championship of the St. Mary’s of Milford Basketball tournament against very stiff competition from all over the state. After the victory he paraded around the halls of OLOV School playing We Are the Champions on a boom box.

Joe was always a “gym rat”, starting at the YMCA, then Creative Health and Fitness, then LA Fitness in Orange and finally LA Fitness in Milford, where he was known as “The Mayor”. Joe mostly exercised his jaw and enjoyed engaging with people and getting to know them. He occasionally rode a bike as well.

Besides his wife, Joe is survived by 2 sons, Brett (Julie) of West Haven and Brian of Milford, and his grandson Deegan, of West Haven. He is also survived by his sisters, Teresa Fasanella (Jim) of Milford, Anne Marie DeAngelo (Frank) of Northford and a brother, Michael Bartolotta (Kathy) of West Haven. He is also survived by a large loving family of nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws who will miss his jokes, laughter, and hugs.

 Visitation for Joe will take place on Thursday March 27, 2025 from 4 to 7 pm at the West Haven Funeral Home 662 Savin Ave. West Haven CT. 06516,  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Precious Blood Parish, at St. Agnes Church 400 Merwin Ave. Milford CT. 06460 on Friday March 28, 2025 at 10am. Interment will follow in St. Mary Cemetery, Milford CT. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut, or Notre Dame High School of West Haven in Joe’s memory. 

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