Joseph Healey of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, died at home, with his wife, Leeanne, by his side, on April 30, 2019, of prostate cancer.
Mr. Healey was born in 1941 in the Bronx, where he attended Sacred Heart School and All Hallows High School before attending Villanova University. He also served honorably in the U.S. Army for six years.
Mr. Healey was active philanthropically in the Palm Beach area. For 20 years, he managed the Tim Mara Memorial Celebrity Golf Tournament, the beneficiaries of which were the Palm Beach Boys and Girls Clubs and St. Anne’s Place for the homeless. He was perhaps best known as the owner and official greeter at Runyon’s: A New York Saloon on Manhattan’s East Side. Runyon’s is thought to be the first real sports bar-restaurant in the U.S. and was for years a gathering place for professional athletes, coaches, and the sports press.
Besides his wife and family, he had two great loves: the New York Yankees and the New York Giants. From an early age, they were his passion. Those who received his almost daily Yankee-Giant texts would certainly attest to this. He was proud to tell all that he was named after Joseph Paul DiMaggio.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by brothers, James Jr. of North Carolina and John Healey of Massachusetts; and sister Elizabeth Mulvihill of New York City. He was stepfather to Jennifer De Groote (Chris); and grandfather to Lida, Reid and Boen. His late father, the Hon. James C. Healey, was a member of the U.S. Congress, representing the 21st Congressional District in the Bronx, also a longtime resident of Southampton.
Services will be held on Saturday, June 1, at 11 a.m. at St. Clare Catholic Church in North Palm Beach.
Memorial donations may be made to Trustbridge (Hospice) Palm Beach County, 5300 East Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL 33407; or Faith, Hope, Love Charity/Stand Down House (support for homeless veterans), 3175 S. Congress Ave., #310, Palm Springs, FL 33461.