Joseph LoCurto
Obituary
WG loses a longtime community member
Joseph LoCurto passed away July 25
By Kate Carter
Willow Glen lost one of its fixtures last month when longtime resident Joseph LoCurto passed away July 25.
LoCurto, 81, died from complications following a stroke. He had been recovering from a successful heart surgery earlier in the year.
"He could have lived another 10 years," his son, John LoCurto, also of Willow Glen, said.
Joseph LoCurto and his brothers, John and Tony, worked at the Hawaiian Gardens restaurant and nightclub, which was owned by the LoCurto family, on Almaden Road near Alma Avenue after it opened in 1928 until they sold it in 1975, son John said. The nightclub, which later became the Italian Gardens club, was truly a family affair, he said. The brothers worked different shifts and their mother, Tina, constructed the outdoor gardens and grottos that gave the place its name.
Hawaiian Gardens was the largest nightclub between Los Angeles and San Francisco, John said, hosting as many as four shows a week and parties for thousands of people. "[Joseph] worked all of his life in the restaurant business," he said.
John said his father knew everything that went on in Willow Glen and was familiar with many people in the largely Italian community.
"He always had an open ear and he was a sharing person," he said. "He helped a whole lot of people."
Joseph LoCurto attended Bellarmine College Preparatory and was later inducted into the school's sports Hall of Fame for his all-around excellence in football, baseball and basketball, John said. He then attended Santa Clara University until he was drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the Pacific during World War II.
When he returned, he started at Hawaiian Gardens and developed into a master chef.
"He had recipes no one else had," John LoCurto said. "He had sauces he continued to make right up to the end."
Joseph LoCurto spent his retirement cooking and following sports, especially football, and staying active with his grandchildren, John said.
LoCurto was born in San Jose on Nov. 6, 1919. He is survived by his wife, Grace, 77; his children John and Dean LoCurto of Willow Glen and Jilayne LoCurto of Oregon; 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
