Joseph C. LaBella
...Pearl Harbor Survivor; 86
TEWKSBURY - Joseph C. LaBella, age 86, the last Tewksbury resident who was a Pearl Harbor
survivor, died unexpectedly Friday morning, Nov. 4, at Saints Memorial Medical Center in
Lowell, after suffering an apparent heart attack Thursday evening. He was the husband of Lucy
(Ciaccio) LaBella, with whom he would have celebrated a 60th wedding anniversary on
December 9th.
He was born in Boston, on May 3, 1919, a son of the late Charles and Frances (Sanfilippo)
LaBella. He was raised in Boston’s North End, and lived in Medford, before moving to
Tewksbury in 1954.
He enlisted into the U.S. Army, and served with Battery B of the 179th Coast Artillery Battalion.
He was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 during the attack by Japan, and also served in the
Gilbert Islands and the Southern Phillippines. He was a member of the Pearl Harbor Survivors
Association.
His early career was with the E.I. DuPont company in Everett for 23 years, and he later retired
from the Medford School Department, as a custodian at Medford High School.
He was active at the Tewksbury Senior Drop-In Center, and a member of the Tewksbury Golden
Age Club. He was a true sport competitor who participated in road races, and senior softball.
Mr. LaBella was also a communicant of St. William’s Church.
Besides his wife, he is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, Charles LaBella and his wife
Rita of Tewksbury, Joseph C. LaBella Jr. and his wife Connie of Marietta, GA; a daughter, Arlene
O’Connor of Concord, NH; three grandchildren, Brendan and Devin O’Connor and Erica
LaBella; and many nieces and nephews.
He was also brother of the late Albert LaBella, Josephine Errera, and Antonio LaBella, and
father-in-law of the late Thomas O’Connor.
His
Funeral Mass was celebrated Nov. 8, at in St. William’s Church, Tewksbury.
Interment with Army honors was in Tewksbury Cemetery. Memorials to the Tom O’Connor Campership Fund, Child and Family Services, 13
Green St. Concord, NH 03301 or the Tewksbury Senior Center, Building Fund, 175 Chandler St.
Tewksbury, MA 01876, will be appreciated.