Joseph Vittoria, 85

Greenwich, Conn.

Joseph Vincent Vittoria, of Palm Beach, Fla., and Greenwich, Conn., died at home surrounded by his family on Jan. 18. He had been battling leukemia for some time. He died in the arms of his beloved wife of 58 years, Luciana.

Joe was born in Glen Cove, Long Island to first-generation Americans, Giuseppe and Maria (nee Ingicco) Vittoria. He grew up in nearby Sea Cliff, where he developed a passion for sailing and was always available to the local yacht club’s members to crew on their boats.

He was an outstanding student and was admitted to Yale on a scholarship, and he graduated with a degree in civil engineering, which he had originally thought would be his calling. However, upon graduating, he decided to switch to business and accepted a scholarship to study for an MBA at Columbia. On completing his studies, he was drafted, but his military accomplishments were cut short due to health issues.

With unexpected time on his hands, he decided to go to Europe to visit his relatives in Italy. After a few weeks in Rome, he visited his cousin in Naples, who invited him to a friend’s 18th birthday party. When the door opened, his life changed. There was the birthday girl, Luciana. After a summer of fully chaperoned courtship, Joe knew he had to return to the U.S. and start his career, but he promised Luciana he would be back.

Within a year and after a series of incredibly lucky breaks, he was back in Rome working for the rental car agency Hertz. He surprised Luciana at her home and proposed to her on the spot. They were married 10 months later. Joe would have been happy to stay in Italy, greatly appreciating the famous “dolce vita” in Rome, and knowing Luciana was happiest there. They had three of their four children — Joseph, Jerry, and Audrey – in Italy, and were settled.

However, a big new role came with Avis, and they were transferred to London. Their fourth child, Edward, arrived soon after their move. During this time Joe renewed his relationship with sailing by buying a series of Camper Nicholson sailing yachts. The family enjoyed memorable sailing trips together in the Italian Mediterranean.

By the end of the decade Joe was back at Hertz, promoted to a new global role in New York City. The family settled in Greenwich in 1980, and Joe was soon promoted to CEO. There was one more twist in the rent-a-car tale: Joe was lured back to Avis, where he eventually became CEO.

After leaving the corporate life Joe returned to his passion for sailing, but also added his love of engineering by developing a line of sailing superyachts, the Mirabellas. Each one advanced the boundaries of composite engineering, hydraulics and sail making, but it was the 246-foot Mirabella V, launched in 2004, which was the most remarkable. Even today it is the sailing yacht with the tallest single mast — an amazing feat of vision and engineering.

Luciana ran the Mirabella yacht business out of their home in Palm Beach, which allowed Joe to continue to invest in new companies and sit on a variety of boards. He remained active with Columbia Business School, sitting on its Board of Overseers, and in the ’80s served on a presidential commission under Ronald Reagan.

Joe was a lifelong fan of the New York Giants and attended four of their Super Bowls, of which the Giants won three.

In late 2018, Joe was diagnosed with MDS/pre-leukemia, which he was able to manage with regular treatments. In the summer of 2019, Joe and Luciana were able to join the family for a special celebration on the island of Capri hosted by his daughter Audrey and her husband Christian. Joe was in great form, dancing into the late evening.

In January of this year Joe caught, and beat, COVID-19. Remarkably, after six days in the hospital, he was able to recover sufficiently to come home. However, the Leukemia at this point had taken over his body, and he succumbed four days later.

Joe was loved and respected by all who knew him. He rarely said a bad word about anyone and always believed the best of everyone. Joe was very generous with his time and ready to help almost anyone who asked, especially if it involved something that people said “couldn’t be done.” Indeed, Joe was always a dreamer, and the combination of affection, intellect, and vision is what made him so special.