Obituary of James DeSalvo, Jr.

James DeSalvo, Jr., 81, of Elizabeth, NJ, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, December 1, 2020. Jim was a lifelong resident of the city of Elizabeth. He worked at Cleveland Auto & Tire Company for 70 years. As a young boy, he worked with his father in the company when it was a hand car wash business before it transitioned into an auto and tire repair shop in the late 1960's. After years of hard work, Jim became proprietor of the company in October of 1980. He was a former member of the NJ Tire Dealer Association and was on the Planning Board for the City of Elizabeth. He also served his country in the Army Reserve from 1960-1965. Jim received numerous Man of the Year awards from various organizations. He received his first Man of the Year award in 1997 from the Boystown of Italy. The following year, in 1998 he was awarded his first of two Man of the Year awards from The Elizabeth Chapter of Unico. The second was awarded ten years later in 2018. Jim was also a recipient of the Man of the Year from The Elizabeth Police Superior Officers Association in 2007 and was bestowed the honor again from the Peterstown Community in 2017. He was predeceased by his wife of 25 years, Rose DeSalvo, and his sister, Marion Mauti. Jim is survived by his children; James DeSalvo, III, and his wife Holly, Annamaria DiGeronimo, and Gina Donahue and her husband Chad, his grandchildren; Michelle, Rose and her husband Anthony, Kylie and her fiance Nick, James,IV, Vincent, Hailey, and Nicholas, his great grandson, Lucas James, his companion, Joy Prohammer and her children; Debbie LoBrace and her husband Bart , and Judy Blanck and her husband Rick. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. A visitation will be held on Friday, December 4, 2020 from 3-7pm at the Petruccelli Funeral Home, 232 Christine Street, Elizabeth, NJ. A visitation will also be held on Saturday, December 5, 2020 from 9-9:30am followed by a funeral mass at St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church, Elizabeth, NJ at 10:30am. Entombment is in Rosedale Cemetery, Linden, NJ.