Joseph J. Jesus, Jr., 81, of New Bedford died March 10, 2019 at Alden Court.
He was the husband of the late Nancy A. (Machado) Jesus.
Born in New Bedford, son of the late Joseph J. and Mary (Santos) Jesus, he lived in New Bedford all of his life.
At age 17, he joined the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.
He was formerly employed as a construction worker with Laborers Union 385, a milk man for Ideal Dairy, proprietor of Val Deb's Roofing & Siding, Jonans Restaurant, 1 Union Square and Mr. Peanuts. He also was a salesman at Ashley Ford and was involved in real estate investments.
Joe enjoyed making people happy! He was well known for Joe Jesus 50's nights in downtown New Bedford with live music and classic cars, organizing Christmas Caroling in downtown New Bedford and was instrumental in forming New Bedford Performance Enthusiasts during the 1970's to allow legal drag racing at the New Bedford Industrial Park and North Terminal. He had a talk show on WBSM 1420 "Reminiscing the 50's" and on Channel 18 TV. Joe was awarded Man of the Year by the City of New Bedford and by the Zeiterion Theatre for his many acts of kindness.
He is survived by his brother, Jeff Jesus of Dartmouth; a sister, Helen Dancel of Arizona; 3 grandchildren, Ashley Perry, Jennifer Murphy and Dawn Mahler; 3 great-grandchildren, Isabella, Andrew and Evan Mahler; and many nieces and nephews.
He was the father of the late Deborah Lannan and Valerie Willett and brother of the late Mary Ann Talbot and Louie Jesus.
His Funeral will be held on Friday, March 15th at 9 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, followed by his Funeral Mass at St. Mary's Church, New Bedford at 10 AM. Burial will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Thursday, March 14th from 4-8 PM.