Joseph Castiglia

Our Dad, Joseph Castiglia, left this world for a better place on February 5, 2021, at the age of 84. His life was well lived and he was well loved.

Joe was the son of Vincent and Lena Bell Castiglia and had 5 siblings, Pete, Vincent, Frank, Geneva and Rose Marie, who all preceded him in death, as well as his former wife, Merlyn Schaeffer Castiglia.

Joe’s early years were spent on a farm, which is the current site of Castiglia Interchange in Gulfport, and  he graduated from St. John High School. He called Long Beach home for most of his years and was a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church. Joe was proud to be an ironworker out of Local 623 for 38 years in Louisiana, a physically demanding and often risky job.

With a great passion for the outdoors, Joe loved to hunt quail and catch bass. He was very good at both, and we grew up enjoying plenty of fish fries with family and friends. He spent many hours in his garden which always thrived, and he would proudly share his tomatoes with friends around town. Dad’s home was the site of many gatherings for football games or crawfish boils. Everyone was welcome at Uncle Joe’s and great memories were made under his beautiful oak trees throughout the years.
Dad developed an illness called PAD in February 2018 which caused him to lose both of his legs. He adapted and endured the challenge with great strength and determination, which made us all very proud. He lived with a positive attitude and strived to do everything on his own.

He was loved and will truly be missed by his children, Joey Castiglia, Alvin Castiglia (Laura), Donna Hudson (Butch), April McMurphy; and his grandchildren, Sawyer McMurphy, Jamie Graham, and Luke Hanna.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Long Beach, on Friday, February 12, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. with visitation starting at 1:00 p.m. for family and friends. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery, Gulfport.

The family requests that memorials be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

The RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, Long Beach, is serving the family.