A Funeral Mass for Joseph Caesar Santo, 79, of Granville, will be held at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church, 10:00 A.M., Tuesday, September 26, 2017, with Msgr. Paul Enke as celebrant. Interment will follow in Maple Grove Cemetery.

Joseph, a parishioner and lector at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church, died at his home on Friday, September 22, 2017. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio on March 3, 1938 to the late Joseph and Dorothy (Lafferty) Santo.

Joseph returned to Steubenville while his father, an Army career man, served in WWII and the Korean conflict. The remainder of his time, until leaving for college in 1957, was spent following his father from post to post in the US as well as a year in Japan. To give you a small picture of the life of an Army brat in those times, Joseph spent his high school years as: a freshman in Steubenville, OH, a sophomore in Japan, a junior in Kentucky, and a senior in Pennsylvania.

He attended the University of Dayton from 1957 to 1961 and graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering. He was hired by the United States Air Force in 1961 and was part of the initial workforce at the Newark Air Force Base. He was selected to attend George Washington University, DC where he obtained a Master of Science in engineering in 1962. He retired after 30 years of service in 1991. Following retirement, Joe went to work with H & R Block and held numerous positions for the next 16 years.

Joe is survived by his wife, Shirley (Scheidegger) Santo; his daughters, Angela Santo-Walter (Greg) and Heather Ransom (Matt); grandchildren, Keyla, Luca, and Izzie; and his sister, Dorothy de Haan-Santo of the Netherlands.

Since Joe had no extended family in the area he was, for all intents and purposes, "adopted" by the Heist family and was a constant guest at their home.

He led a full life despite his obvious physical difficulties and is grateful to all who helped him during the years. He especially wants to thank his wife, Shirley for her assistance in the years from 2010 until his death.

In addition to his parents, Joe was preceded in death by his brother, Patrick Santo.

Friends and family may call at the REED-EGAN FUNERAL HOME, 141 Green Wave Drive, Newark, 4-6 P.M., Monday, September 25, 2017.

The family requests that memorials in Joe's name be made to St. Edward Catholic Church.

To share your memory of Joe or leave a condolence for the family, please visit www.reedegan.com.