Joseph Aiello, 62, passed peacefully on Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at home.

Joseph was born on Christmas day 1949 in Des Moines, Iowa. He lived most
of his life on the Des Moines Southside and graduated from Dowling High
School. Following graduation he played semi-pro baseball in Italy. Upon
returning to Des Moines, he owned and operated Giuseppe's Pizza and
Italian Foods for twenty plus years. In 1989 he went to work for Polk
County and retired in January 2012. He was a member and past president
of the Society of Italian Americans, past president and coach of South
Des Moines Little League, president of the La Macchina Club, and served
on the Polk County Planning and Zoning Commission.

He was an avid sports fan, particularly the New York Yankees and Iowa
Hawkeyes. His favorite spot for watching baseball and football was on
his screened in porch. He enjoyed cooking, golfing, gardening, and
vacationing in Okoboji. He never met a stranger.

He will be missed by his wife of 23 years, Karla (Chappas); daughters,
Catherine (Erik Laifer) Aiello of Phoenix, AZ, Toni Cramarossa of
Raleigh, NC, Daniella West of Atlanta, GA; sister, Cathy (Ronald) Blades
of Des Moines, IA; half-sister, Sharon (Larry) Alitz and half brother,
Frank (Jigs) Aiello both of Oelwein, IA; four grandchildren; three
sisters-in-law, Suzanne Chappas of Des Moines, Debbie Bartlett of
Milwaukee, WI and Barbara (Gary) Stoltenberg of Olathe, KS;
brother-in-law, John (Donna) Chappas of Spirit Lake, IA and several
nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and
Catherine Aiello and sister-in-law, Chris Chappas of Kansas City, MO.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, October 6,
2012 at Saint Anthony's Catholic Church with burial following at
Glendale Cemetery. A visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, October
5 at Hamilton's Southtown Funeral Home, 5400 SW 9th Street.