The following is an excerpt from the intranet site at Pfizer Corp., passed on to us by Lee Williams, a friend of Joe.
A funeral mass was held for DeLuca on Friday, September 21, in Union, New Jersey.
Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, Joe was a graduate of Vailsburg High School. He attended the Newark College of Engineering and Jersey City State College, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics.
At the time of his death, Joe worked for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare in Morris Plains as a Systems Business Consultant in the Information Systems group. He began his career with the company 23 years ago as a programmer for Warner-Lambert. He steadily progressed up the career ladder to his current role, which entailed developing systems and technology applications.
Joe was a car racing enthusiast and served as a board member of the Sports Car Club of America, Northern New Jersey Region. He was also the creator of "The Adventures of Raymond the Cat," a syndicated cartoon that appeared in the club's monthly newsletter and other publications across the country.
He is survived by his mother, father, and sister.