Joseph E. Musante, age 89, of Oxford, husband of Rose Marie Musante, entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at Griffin Hospital with his loving family by his side. Joe was born in Derby, CT on June 10, 1935, son of the late Angelo and Josephine Burlando Musante. He graduated from Ansonia High School and the University of New Haven.
After several years at Geometric Tool Co. in New Haven, he spent much of his career as a distribution manager working at Seamless Hospital Products, first based in New Haven, and then in Wallingford. He later worked for Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford.
He was perhaps best known in the Valley for his fast-pitch softball career during the heyday of the sport during the 1950s and early 1960s. He was regarded as one of the state’s top pitchers and spent many years as a hurler for the Ansonia VFW team. He was inducted into the Connecticut Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame in 1980.
Joe became a Derby Little League baseball coach in the 1970s. He served as the pitching coach for the Derby High School softball team throughout most of the 1980s, including for the 1985 team that captured the Class S State Championship. He was presented with the Bill Pucci Service Award by the Derby Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
He moved to the college coaching ranks in the late 1980s, first as an assistant softball coach at Yale University, before moving to the University of New Haven in 1991. After a year as an assistant coach at UNH, Joe became head coach in 1992. He led the team to two NCAA tournament appearances and would be twice named the NECC Coach of the Year. He also was inducted into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010. After leaving UNH, he returned to the high school coaching ranks, becoming an assistant coach at Seymour High School for 10 years. He also served as manager for Seymour in the Big League Softball World Series in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where the team won the championship in 2007.
He was an avid Cardinals baseball and football fan. He also was a fan of the Boston Celtics.
Joe fought courageously over his final months and years despite several major illnesses. He defied the odds by living much longer than his doctors expected.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his son, Joseph A. Musante of Derby, as well as several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers, John Musante, Peter Musante and Edward Musante, and his sister, Flora Bohlman.
His services were private and he is buried at Mount St. Peter Cemetery in Derby. The Edward F. Adzima Funeral Home, 253 Elizabeth St., Derby, was entrusted with his arrangements.
