Joseph De Patta

Joseph “Joe” De Patta fiercely faced death surrounded by the love of his family and friends, near and far, on the morning of February 26, 2025. Joe was the oldest of four siblings: Pauly, Chrissy, and Richie. His mother Agnes was a nurse who worked the night shift to provide a loving home for her family. His father Joseph was a firefighter and devoted father. He was of Irish and Sicilian descent and born and bred in Marin County. Or, you could alternately say that Joe was raised by wolves, or by an underground coven of French symbolists, and he would revel in the irreverent humor of either origin story. In heart and voice, Joe was a man of words, a storyteller and true raconteur, equally at home in Taos coffee shops, at the SOMOS podium, or in Parisian cafes. Those who called Joe friend, or surrogate family, or paisan knew the flinty exterior and acerbic tongue, but also experienced the generosity of a man who cared deeply for others. While living in the Bay Area, Joe’s life unexpectedly changed and he “cleaned up his act.” Subsequently, he fell in love with the artist, Sally Gray and became stepfather to Sally’s two sons, Josh and Soren. He worked at San Quentin prison as an administrator and after he retired, he and Sally moved to Taos in the early 2000s. His tastes in film, music, and literature were eclectic and reflected in his encyclopedic knowledge of the “art life,” and his insatiable hunger for creative nourishment. Since his high school days in Marin, Joe was a drummer, improvising rhythms in his own inimitable way. He was a writer leaving behind a compendium of stories, poems, fragments, and a novel, Gigs, about life in a band that was on the track to nowhere. Sally, Joe’s wife, preceded Joe in death by six years, and Sally Gray is Gone, Joe’s volume of poems published in 2021, serves as a testament and elegy to their love and union. Joe could wax glowingly about Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, would get chills discussing John Coltrane’s musical pilgrimage, or might salivate talking about the films of Ozu or Antonioni. Philosophical and existential inquiries were cornerstones of Joe’s relationship with the world, yet he had a tender spirit. He served as an inspiration to many as a writer, a musician, and one who wasn’t afraid to befriend his dark side. He was an infinitely rich and deeply successful man, as he frequently expressed gratitude for his bountiful network of friends and his family. Joe was a man whose hard-boiled and loner spirit found a soft-landing spot among fellow travelers and his love, Sally.

The family of Joseph "Joe" De Patta has entrusted the care of their loved one to the caring staff of DeVargas Funeral Home of Taos. www.devargastaos.com 1-866-657-4019