James V. Buccellato

James V. Buccellato, 98, of Red Bank passed away peacefully Tuesday, February 11th at his home.

He was born downtown NYC on July 25th 1921 to the late Italian immigrants Carlo Buccellato and Giuseppina (Ventimiglia).

James was an honorable man who dedicated his life to his country, the law and most importantly his family and friends. As a child he spent his time on the Coney Island boardwalk where he shined shoes for 5 cents a shine. If he sang while he shined, he would get a 5 cent tip. Determined to earn more money, James went to Yankee Stadium with a box of 6 pigeons where he kept the score on the pigeons leg. Seeing he was a ‘working kid’, the guard allowed him to go inside the stadium to collect homerun balls from Babe Ruth and DiMaggio and sell them to fans for 50 cents a ball. In 1939 he graduated from Brooklyn’s New Utrecht High School and a few short years later was inducted into the United States Army. While in the army, he married his beloved Rose and was blessed with two sons, Victor and Richard. Determined to make a good life for his family, he attended Long Island University for Pre Law then Brooklyn Law School. In 1953 he was admitted to the NY State Bar and after was appointed by Governor Harriman as “Special Agent in Charge” of Special Investigation. He was appointed several more times; Examining Attorney for the Department of Investigation, Secretary to a Civil Court Judge, and also Secretary to Supreme Court Judge. In 1960 he actively campaigned with John F Kennedy and then again with his brother Robert in 1968. James was Judge in NYC, Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx in 1969. After his retirement, he traveled frequently to Europe and was also President of dozens of high level welfare, fraternal, charitable, civic, religious and youth organizations where he pioneered many new regulations and was the recipient of many awards including ‘Man of the Year’. He continued his life work voicing the rights of individuals of all genders and races through civic leadership and political campaigns while championing the freedom of speech.

He is predeceased by his beloved wife Rose in 1999 and two brothers Louis and Andrew.

He is survived by his loving sons and their spouses Victor and Dorothea and Richard and JoAnn. Also surviving are his dear grandchildren; Victor, Dina, Desiree, Dawn, Danielle, Jeffrey and Joelle and great grandchildren; Brooke, Andrew, Sophia, Stanley, Luke, Skylar-Rose, Eva Rose, Sebastian and Massimo and many Buccellato nieces and nephews. James is also survived by his loving companion Marion Morse and her daughters Sharon, Peggy, Dorothy and their families Elizabeth, Erin, Matthew, Ryan, Avery and Jordan.

A celebration of his life will be from 2:00pm – 7:00pm Monday, February 17th 2020 at the John E. Day Funeral Home, 85 Riverside Ave. Red Bank, NJ 07701. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 12:00pm Tuesday, February 18th at St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church, corner of Bridge and Chestnut Streets, Red Bank, NJ with entombment immediately following at Holmdel Cemetery.

In Lieu of flowers, donations to the Stanley Richard Foundation are appreciated http://www.StanleyRichardFoundation.org