Joseph P. McKenna
March 4, 1987 ~ December 31, 2020
The physical mass will be private, however if you would like to watch the Funeral Mass via YouTube, please go to http://stpatricksmithtown.org/
once on the Church’s website, click “watch on YouTube”. The link for the mass will be available just before Mass starts.
In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to https://www.classy.org/give/75654/#!/donation/checkout
Joseph’s services are being held privately for family only.
Services
Services - Private for family only: Thursday, March 27, 2025 5:20 pm
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America/New_York
1970-01-01 00:00:00
1970-01-01 00:00:00
JosephP.McKennaServices - Private for family only
Services - Private for family only
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Hi I am so sorry Linda and peter of joseph passing. Your and the whole family are in my prayers.
Our hearts break for you Pete, Linda, Chris, Michael and families. We are so sorry to hear of Joe’s passing. You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
So sorry to hear of Joseph’s passing. So young. We will keep Joseph in our prays. May God watch over him.
My heart is broken. Joey was like another little brother to me growing up. My brother Rob and him have been friends for 20+ years and there are so many good memories that I have of him! He was a wonderful kid, so smart, so happy, so loving. This world was a better place with him in it. He truly will be missed by many! My thoughts and prayers go out to all his family and friends. We truly all lost a good soul! May he Rest In Peace. Xo
I’m so sorry to hear the passing of Joey. My husband and I will miss his frequent stops at the house and the laughs and conversations we always had. Rob always cherished there friendship and golf outings. May he Rest In Peace and know you raised a good son. Our hearts are hurting. Kathy and Bob Anderson
We know how much joy he brought to his family and friends.
He was so funny.I am remembering his narration and video of the 2020 pierogi day.
We will continue to keep you close in heart, mind and prayers
Love,Keith and Rosie Kieltyka
I’m so sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to everyone who loved Joe.
Sending our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers.
Joseph and Joan Anterio
So sorry to hear this news. Joe was a wonderful man and he will be missed by all. My deepest sympathies and love to you both Pete and Linda, as well as Chris and Michael. I can’t even imagine what you’re feeling. Xoxo
Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this tremendously difficult time.
My thoughts and prayers are with you all with the passing of Joey. May the love and memories you hold in your heart always sustain you and bring you comfort. To quote Helen Keller: “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose for all that we love deeply become a part of us”.
Love,
Toni
Dear Linda, Pete: Sean shared the news with me, and while it has been some years since we’ve seen one another, I wanted to send my condolences. I have many fond memories of watching Joe, Chris, and Mike growing up – Super Bowl Sundays, holidays, and summer barbeques in Chuck and Leslie’s backyard. I still remember the three of them doing “Men in Black” at their wedding. I am so very sorry for the loss of your beautiful son, Joe. Sending you love and prayers.
Our love and prayers are with you all at this time.
McKenna Family.
May god wrap his loving arms around u and hold u tight. Our condolences to the whole family.
So sorry to hear this.
Love;
John & Tracy Mcgreevy
The Miliotto Family
Joe and I started at Newsela on the same day. He was a bright light with a huge smile who always had a joke up his sleeve and could always lend a helping hand. Joe you are missed. My thoughts and prayers to your family.
We are so very sorry and shocked to hear this. Our hearts break for you. Our sincerest thoughts and prayers for you and your family. May God Bless Joey and you all.
Ann and Mike Fusco and family.
Joe worked on the finance team, but he was more like a celebrity in our office. He was our fire warden and our ping pong tournament emcee. I remember once looking across a room of 100+ during one of his presentations and everyone had a smile on their face. He will be missed. Much love to the McKenna family.
Dearest Peter, Linda and Family,
We are devastated to hear about the loss of your beloved Joseph. We are praying for all of you. Sending our deepest condolences.
Love,
Sheila and Gene O’Driscoll
Joe, among many things, was first and foremost a relentless champion of human interaction. He loved engaging with strangers, and tirelessly devoted much of his life to making us all laugh.
One of his age-old and favorite gags was when he was expecting company, at his dorm room, or apartment, or at Linda and Pete’s, he would deliberately lock the door. W his guest tried to open it, he’d yell “it’s open!”. When they tried the knob the second time, (still locked) you would just hear his signature belly laugh, as he shuffled up to the door to unlock it.
He brought out the best in everyone he met, and his energy and presence will always be felt among those who had the opportunity to love him.
Scrolling through all of these kind messages just affirms what we all knew about Joe. He was a bright light that touched so many lives. As a coworker and friend, Joe was so much more than just the funniest person in the room (which he always was). He was able to connect with almost anybody with such ease. His sincere personality gave comfort to all who crossed paths with him. I consider myself lucky to have been his friend. My prayers are with his family.
Thoughts and prayers to the Mckenna family sorry for your lose hold Gods hands to help ye through this time🙏🏼
To his family, I have not met you in person, but Joey constantly spoke about his family. He loved his family unapologetically. His family came first, and any opportunity to speak about his family he took it. I heard about the Christmas carols, his brothers, nephew, cousins, and parents. He loved being at home with his family, and more often than not, he was in Long Island with a family member. I have not stopped thinking of you and your loss. But please know, you have raised an amazing man who has impacted the lives of so many people. We are forever grateful to have known him and will carry him in our hearts forever. All of my amazing memories in Albany include him. Rest In Peace, Joey.
We were shocked to hear of your son Josephs passing and we cannot even begin to imagine what you are going through. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Allan and Mary
I’m sure I’m saying what’s been said in dozens of remembrances, but I’ve never met anyone quite like Joe. I was lucky enough to work with him the past four years. I think it’s fair to say that anyone at work who crossed his path felt lucky to work with him.
Joe was in accounting, which gets a false, media-fueled bad rap as the place were emotionless beancounters end up. Joe was the opposite of that stereotype—though he certainly was great at counting the beans. He was constantly cracking people up, social, warm, and ever-present. He loomed large in Newsela’s culture.
I loved the fact that he decided to become the office fire warden. He’d wear this amazing yellow fire warden cap and seamlessly blend hilariously bizarre quips with totally earnest advice about where to find the nearest fire exits and what to do if there was a poison gas attack. People would cheer at the end of his fire warden talks. CHEER! Who gets that sort of reaction?! Well, for anyone who knows Joe, it should be no surprise that he did.
In addition to being a colleague, Joe was my next-door neighbor in my desk pod for a couple years. We have an open office plan, and the HR team had a conundrum when we moved to our new office: they thought someone might get freaked out having to sit next to the CEO every minute of every day, but they didn’t want to make me feel like a leper by seating no one around me. So Joe was the right guy for the job. I don’t think it would occur to him to be intimidated or awkward because he was 100% himself 100% of the time. I loved sitting next to Joe. We didn’t talk a ton, but when we did, it was rarely garden-variety chit-chat. The moments I remember best are when he informed me that the ancient Greeks didn’t have a word for the color blue (for the life of me, I have no idea what the context of that comment was) and when he showed me a concept for writing in spirals. In fact, he wanted to build technology and a website to help people write in spirals, or something like that. He thought it could help you think in new ways, and he was enthralled by the beauty of it. It was so Joe.
A lot of folks talk about his goofiness and his warmth, but it’s easy to forget what a dedicated worker he was: detail-oriented, always wanting to learn, ambitious, collegial to a fault. When he decided to make a career change away from accounting into sales—a gutsy move—he decided to do it within Newsela. A lot folks in the company were excited for him as he prepared for his new adventure. He loved the company, and the company loved him right back.
Which brings me to one last point: he was SO loved at Newsela. I started the company eight years ago, and we’ve grown to 350 people. Being part of a that community is a big reason why I stick around. And sure, all 350 of those people matter, but when I think of the people who most define the Newsela culture, Joe is pretty damn close to the top of the list. It’s just unbelievable to me that he’s gone and he’ll love a hole in our culture and in our hearts.
Joe, we’ll miss you, buddy. I’ll miss you. Wherever you are, I hope you’re at peace and spreading your warmth and spirit throughout the fabric of the universe.
Love,
Matthew Gross
Founder & CEO
Newsela
Joe was a wonderful colleague and friend. He was such a bright light and always went out of his way to give you a big hug and make you feel welcome. Any room that Joe was in was instantly full of laughter and joy. He is so dearly missed. Thank you Joe, for so many great memories. I feel so lucky to have known you. Sending love to family and friends.
I had the honor of meeting Joe and speaking to him over the last few months at work. He had such a warm soul and made me immediately feel like a friend.
He will be dearly missed at Newsela. Sending love to the McKenna family.
Joe, thank you for all the laughs, smiles, fun times and friendship. You’ve touched the lives of more people one can imagine and you will never be forgotten.
Sending my thoughts and prayers to the McKenna family and everyone feeling this loss.
Joe, thank you for all the laughs, smiles, fun times and friendship. You’ve touched the lives of more people one can imagine and you will never be forgotten.
Sending my thoughts and prayers to the McKenna family and everyone feeling this loss.
My thoughts and prayers are with the McKenna family. Joe will be dearly missed by so many.
Joey was one of a kind and kind to every one. He was like no one else in my life. His ability to make me laugh (and himself) was unmatched. I met Joey at orientation at SUNY Albany. I walked in the room a little late, frazzled and nervous. Something about Joey’s energy pulled me in, I sat next to him, laughed about a story that will stay between us 🙂 and the rest was history. We started hanging out back home on long island immediately and were attached at the hip from that point on, like brother and sister. Having him by my side throughout college opened me up, brought me out of my shell and allowed me to meet so many people and make so many friends. Joey made a scene, everyone wanted to be his friend and I reaped the benefits. Joey would introduce me to people that he thought I would really hit it off with, I owe so many other forever friends to him. I will miss our silly texts, hearing about his nephew and how cool he was, catching up on how our families are doing, talking about our jobs and getting advice from one another on dating relationships. No matter how many friends and loved ones Joey had, he always listened, gave advice, truly cared and made you feel like the most important person to him in that moment. He gave all of himself and left it all out on the dance floor. His light will live on in my heart forever, I will never forget him and always tell his stories.
Joe was one of the first people I met when I started work at Newsela. It was my first week and I felt a little overwhelmed, and he just hung out near my desk and introduced himself in the kindest, most unassuming way. And suddenly, I had a friend. I have many memories of Joe, but that’s one I cherish most. He made everyone feel welcome and part of the family. We later played on a casual soccer team together, and his presence was like a switch that let everyone relax and have fun — he’d have me laughing so hard my side would hurt. I’m still an awe at the way he embodied warmth, goofiness, and true sincerity all at once. He was the type of person that makes everyone around him feel special. Thanks for sharing your light with us, Joe. I’ll miss you.
Pete and Linda,
My sincere condolences on the loss of your son, Joe. My thoughts and prayers are with you and with Chris and Michael in this difficult time. It is apparent on these pages that he was greatly loved and appreciated by those who knew him best and that he brought much happiness to everyone he met.
I had the pleasure of working with Joe for a couple years. He had a great energy and attitude. I will miss him stopping by to talk about the latest baseball news, or crack a quick joke, and I will never forget the sound of his contagious laugh. My condolences to his family. We will miss you buddy, rest in peace.
My family and I are so sorry for your loss. We are keeping you all in our thoughts and prayers.
My deepest sympathies on your heartbreaking loss. I had the privilege of knowing Joey through his friendship with my nephew “Cheddar”. He was a joy to be around and was always with a laugh and a smile. He will be missed.
Cheddar’s Aunt,
Miriam
Joe was undeniably one of the most outgoing and warm people I have had the pleasure of knowing. When I first started at Newsela and coworkers found out I did standup, they all would immediately say “Have you met Joe??” And I am so glad that I did. Joe was naturally so funny, and gifted at making new people feel welcome. His big personality and heart will be missed by so many. My thoughts are with his family through this difficult time. I miss you, buddy. Rest in peace.
Dear McKenna Family,
My deepest sympathies to you. I am heartbroken for you all. You all will be in my prayers. May Joey rest in peace. With love
I am so lucky to have had Joe as a friend. I will always be grateful for all the laughs and remember him for the truly good person that he was. Joe was so special and he will be incredibly missed. I will continue to keep his family in my prayers.
My Deepest condolences. Joe was a dear friend to my brother Michael and always made me laugh when he was around. My thoughts and prayers are with your family.
Joe was such a source of good in the world and a rare human. He was incredibly kind, a genuine soul and always knew how to get a laugh. His loss is immense. I am grateful to have known him, for his friendship and I will treasure the memories. My deepest condolences to his family.
Joe was such a source of good in the world and a rare human. He was incredibly kind, a genuine soul and always knew how to get a laugh. His loss is immense. I am grateful to have known him, for his friendship and I will treasure the memories. My deepest condolences to his family.
Such a terrible loss. We are keeping you all in our prayers.
I had the privilege to work with such a fun and cheerful human being who always knew how to cheer a person up!
Thankful to have met you,Joe.
Sad that you left us so soon. #RIP
Love from the Wallace clan,
Mary Jo Tommasi, Richard, Robert and John
I’ve literally never met someone who smiled more, laughed more, who was more laid back, or made you feel like a million bucks more consistently than Joey. Every time I saw him was a treat, and every time somehow he was even kinder than the last time I saw him. I am so saddened and so heartbroken for his family. He will be missed.