Albert Ioanna

Albert Ioanna, 75 of Smithtown passed away May 10. Albert was born April 15, 1945 in Avellino, Italy. He was the youngest son of Raffaele Ioanna and Grazia Giannone. As the youngest of 8 children, Albert always looked up to his older brothers and sisters and is survived by his brother Leo  and his sisters Maria, Angelina and Guiseppina. He was the beloved uncle of many nieces and nephews.

At age 10, Albert immigrated to America and settled in Port Washington where he spent his teenage years. He enlisted in the Army and served for 7 years during the Vietnam War. In this time, he met the love of his life, Nancy Marino and they married in September of 1969. Together, they had three daughters, Dawn, Melissa (Missy) and Grace. Albert was the proud Pop-pop of Aidan and Brendan Dillon and was extremely loved by his son in laws, James Dillon and Vincent J. Giglio. 

For anyone who met Albert, they know this is a huge loss for his family, as he was their sole protector and provider. He was a hard-working family man. He embodied the old school traditions of what the word “family” means and he embedded those values in his children and grandchildren. Family to Albert wasn’t just about the blood line. It was about devotion and he was beyond devoted to his wife, his girls and his grandchildren. 

In addition to his family, he was devoted to his business. As a construction business owner for 40 plus years, Albert prided himself on the friendships he built with his customers. Many of those customers became family and Albert’s family circle is now a rather large one. 

To his clients, he was their go to for everything home and building related and he enjoyed every moment of working with them. He always said a real man should have a pencil, a ruler and hammer in his pocket just in case something needed fixing. 

To Albert’s family, he was that strength, the hammer. He was physically and mentally strong. Yet, Albert’s heart was his strongest muscle. Elbert Hubbard said “The stronger a man is, the more gentle he can afford to be.” Albert was that man to everyone who knew him and it didn’t matter if you knew him for years or a few minutes, either way it was easy to love him. 

It is only fitting that God would call on Albert at a time when things need fixing. Now, it is time to send our angel to heaven and let him get to work. 

*In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund 

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.