Joseph Santacroce, a retired carpenter, Air Force veteran, and native of Sag Harbor, died on March 28 at the Kanas Center for Hospice Care in Quiogue. He was 93.
He began his carpentry career as an apprentice with Wesley C. Miller, a general contractor, helping to build houses in the Bridgehampton and Sag Harbor area. He later worked with Michael Witty, a master craftsman and builder, learning the skills of the trade.
For the next 40 years, Mr. Santacroce would be employed with Pat Trunzo’s general contracting company, working on residences from Shelter Island to Amagansett and at the time one of the largest projects on the South Fork, the renovation of the Maidstone Club in East Hampton. (The club was not new to him — in the summers as a young teen he would hitchhike to East Hampton to caddy there with his cousin Edward Molinari.)
Mr. Santacroce was a perfectionist and took exceptional pride in the work he did, his family said, both in his professional life and his personal life. He raised his family in a Sag Harbor house he built himself near Pierson High School, from which he had graduated with the class of 1949.
Born in Southampton on Oct. 1, 1931, to Nicholas Santacroce and Anna Gaudino Santacroce, he was the eldest of three children. He married Margaret (Peggy) Hildreth of Sag Harbor, and their marriage lasted almost 70 years. She died in 2023.
He enlisted in the Air Force in 1951, training as a fine-instrument repairman and inspecting altimeters, air-speed indicators, and other aircraft components. Stationed in Panama during the Korean War, he was later discharged with the rank of airman first class. He was a member of the Chelberg and Battle Post of the American Legion in Sag Harbor.
After his service, Mr. Santacroce worked for a time at the Bulova watchcase factory in Sag Harbor, learning to repair watch bezels and cases before they were assembled, and then for Pratt and Whitney in Connecticut before returning to his hometown.
Into his 50s, he enjoyed fishing, clamming, and scalloping. In retirement he focused on time at home with his wife, his beloved dog, Honey, and his grandchildren.
He is survived by a sister, Theresa Santacroce McMahon of Amagansett, a son, Joseph N. Santacroce of Sag Harbor, a daughter, Marla Santacroce of East Moriches, and four grandchildren, Joseph Santacroce Jr., Brianna Hand Hartman, Katelyn Hand, and Jenna Roesel Wolny. He leaves three great grandchildren. Another sister, Mary Bernadette Greene, predeceased him.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Sag Harbor, with burial following at St. Andrew Cemetery. His family has suggested memorial donations to Sag Harbor Helpers, P.O. Box 933, Sag Harbor 11963, the Sag Harbor Ambulance Corps at P.O. Box 2725 in Sag Harbor, or Disabled American Veterans at dav.org.
