Obituary of Joseph John DeRosa

Joseph John deRosa (aka "Count Jose") age 87, of Wilmington, DE passed away peacefully on January 28, 2018 surrounded by his family. Joe was born in Philadelphia, PA and raised in the communities of Yeadon and Drexel Hill, PA. Joe enjoyed life and lived it to the fullest. After raising his family and retiring, he enjoyed managing his rental properties, running races, competitive weight lifting and the annual polar bear plunge into Rehoboth Beach, DE. In addition to his parents, Louis and Marie Forte, he is preceded in death by 2 sisters, Marie Sobeski and Louise (Late Richard) Quinn. Joseph is survived by his wife of 59 years, Rose Marie deRosa, two children, JoAnne (Charles) Watson and Joseph Andrew (Cheryl) deRosa, both of Newark, DE, 4 grandchildren, Rose Ann (Pietro) D'Agostino, Charlene Halter, Dylan Watson and Jordan deRosa and 6 great grandchildren, Arianna, Savanna, David, Marcello, Emmanuel and Javier, and a brother-in-law, William Sobeski. Relatives and friends are invited to attend Joseph's visitation on Tuesday from 9:00-10:15AM at the Pagano Funeral Home, 3711 Foulk Rd., Garnet Valley, PA. Services and interment will remain private. In lieu of flowers, donations in Joseph's name may be made to the Pike Creek Running Club, P.O. Box 3259, Wilmington, DE 19804 or the Delaware Special Olympics, 619 S. College Ave., Newark, DE 19716 or the Delaware Senior Olympics, 1121 Forrest Ave., Dover, DE 19904.