Joseph Meo

Joseph (Joe) Meo, of Southport, Connecticut, was born in Patchogue, New York, on September 25, 1954 to Anthony (Tony) and Madeline Meo. He passed away unexpectedly at age 69 on November 26, 2023. Joe was a very accomplished and much-loved man.

With his brother, Gary, and three sisters, JoAnn, Linda and Michelle, Joe grew up in a close-knit Italian Catholic family in Patchogue on Long Island.

Joe attended Patchogue public schools and was the valedictorian of his senior class at Patchogue-Medford High School. He went on to college at Cornell University, earning a bachelor degree in science and a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He excelled academically and was also the drum major for the Big Red Marching Band.

Following college, he had a successful engineering career at Bell Labs and Pitney Bowes. But Joe’s first love was always music. He eventually left the corporate world to pursue his dream of becoming a professional musician.

As the story goes, he began playing clarinet at age 8 when a clarinet fell from a passing car and landed in his front yard on Oak Street in Patchogue. Through the years, he also played tenor and soprano saxophone, flute and guitar, and lived his dream of being a professional musician, primarily in New York City and Connecticut.

He played in rock, funk and jazz bands, but he also played in pit orchestras for Broadway shows and as a session player for various recordings. He played with many distinguished artists, including the late Johnny Winter (including Winter’s last CD, which won a Grammy in 2015), Julie Budd, Johnny Mathis, Billy Vera, the Temptations, the Four Tops, the Pointer Sisters, and Aretha Franklin, among others. In the last few years, he also played regularly with Aztec Two-Step 2.0. He toured the world with the Jeff Holmes Big Band and the Ed Palermo Band and played with the Tonight Show orchestra under Doc Severinsen. He played on several cruise ships including the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary 2 as musical director. 

Joe made friends and had close relationships with so many of the people he met along the way, with a special place in his heart for his many, many bandmates and fellow musicians. The outpouring of love since his passing from so many of these friends has been a testament of just how many people loved him.

Joe was predeceased by his parents, Anthony and Madeline Meo. He is survived by his beloved partner Mia Herstatt (and children Deanna and Olivia Owens), sisters JoAnn Wahl (David), Linda Meo and Michelle Arcidiacono (Sam), and brother Gary Meo (Meg). He is also survived by his much-loved nieces and nephews Sarah Czekanski (husband Ben and children Anthony and Sawyer), Kelsey Wahl (Ben Anshutz), Gina Arcidiacono, Emily Meo (Maff Caponi) and Eric Meo (Dee).

A celebration of Joe’s life will be held on Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 2:00 PM at The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Westport, 10 Lyons Plains Road, Westport, CT 06680.  There will be a reception at the church with family and friends  immediately following the service. 

The Celebration of the Life of Joe Meo will be livestreamed using the following link:  https://uuwestport.org/livestream

Donations in Joe’s memory may be made to Horns for Kids http://www.hornsforkids.org/contribute.html The Musicians Emergency Relief Fund (Local 802 American Federation of Musicians, Associated Musicians of Greater New York) https://erf.local802afm.org/, or the charity of your choice.

Music is God's gift to man, the only art of heaven given to earth, the only art of earth we take to heaven. – Walter Savage Landor  

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