Obituary: Joseph Rafael Avitable, 47, Of Wallingford

WALLINGFORD, CT — (From Wallingford Funeral Home): Joseph Rafael Avitable, 47, of Wallingford, passed away unexpectedly at home on February 16, 2024. Joe was born in New Haven, on November 9, 1976, to Angelina Cable and the late Anthony Avitable Sr.

After graduating from Sheehan High School in 1995, Joe received a bachelor’s degree at Central Connecticut State University in 1999. He then went on to pursue his passion for History at Trinity College in Hartford, where he completed a master’s degree in Economics and History in 2002.

He spent the next several years studying Global History at the University of Rochester in New York, where he wrote his dissertation on The Atlantic World Economy and Colonial Connecticut and achieved a PhD in 2009. It was there in Rochester that his son, Jake, was born in 2008, and Joe felt that, by far, his greatest accomplishment in life was becoming a dad.

In addition to his son, Jake Avitable, Joe is survived by his mother, Angelina Cable, his brother, Anthony Avitable, Jr., and sister-in-law, Kirstin Avitable, his brother, Michael Avitable, his nephew, Jordan, and his nieces, McGuire and Anistyn.

Joe will always be remembered for his brilliant mind, his kind nature, his humility, his random sense of humor, and most importantly, his love for his son, Jake. Everyone who knew Joe loved Joe. His absence has left a huge hole in the hearts of so many people, including all his students whose lives he so greatly impacted, and he will forever be thought of and so deeply missed.

Joe’s family will receive relatives and friends at the Wallingford Funeral Home at 809 North Main Street Ext. on Thursday, March 7, 2024, from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m.

For more information and to leave online condolences, visit Wallingford Funeral Home here.