Joseph (Joe) Mongillo, age 86, of Wilmington, DE, passed away on Thursday, October 2, 2025. Joe is survived by his wife of 54 years Antoinette (Toni), sons William and James, daughters Linda McCall (John), Nicole Mongillo, Michelle Howard, Joanna Mongillo Chandler (Styron), and a combined total of 20 grandchildren and great grandchildren. Joe was preceded in death by his brother Thomas Mongillo, Jr, and sister Margaret (Peg) Kempchinski. A mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Thomas the Apostle Roman Catholic Church on October 9th at 11am. The viewing will begin at 10 AM. Interment at Gracelawn Memorial Park in New Castle, DE will follow services.
The family is pleased to share these additional obituary details Joe wrote about himself - highlights of his life in his own words:
Born at home, 2314 W 6th St. (known as Goat City). Attended St. Thomas Grade School and Wilmington High School class of 1958. While in high school, Joe played drums in marching band, concert band and dance band, and was voted most musical by his class. He joined Delaware Air National Guard for three years until an opening in the Delaware National Guard 287 Army Band where he spent 4 years. Joe went to barber school and worked under Gus Parodi, but soon after said that profession wasn’t for him! Wanting something more active, Joe went to Scranton, PA to learn how to operate heavy equipment. From there, he got a temp job with New Castle County which turned into a steady job from which he retired in their department of inspections after 34 years of service.
Joe loved music and playing drums in various bands. As a young musician he played at various clubs; one especially dear to him was the Bottle & Cork before it became a Hard Rock club. He played all of the summer of 1960 while living in his father’s camper on the back of a pickup truck and having a taste of Grotto’s Pizza every night. As he got older, Joe played with the Rhythm Doctors 17-piece band. Joe spent the most time and made many friends with The Major Trio who was together for 15 years until he retired at age 81.
In the summer time, he and wife Toni loved spending time on their boat “Satin Doll” on the Elk River. Joe later sold his boat and bought a cottage in Broadkill Beach, where he still goes every summer. Joe also loved snow skiing. He was a member of the Wilmington Ski club and went on many trips, including frequent visits to Vermont and Canada, even hosting a trip to Grey Rocks in Quebec. He later joined OFOS (old farts on skis)!
According to Joe, his biggest achievement was getting his private pilot’s license, whereas his family would argue it was one of many significant accomplishments throughout his amazing life.
