Joseph P. Vidulich Esq., "Joe", 66, of Montclair, passed away in his home on August 14, 2022, in the presence of his wife Cindy Carlson of Montclair, son Kit (wife Jenna and daughter Evelyn) of Coraopolis, PA, daughter Liz (fiancé Nathan) of Mount Horeb, WI, and mother Julia Mesich Vidulich of Southold, NY.
Joe was born in New York City to Julia and Joe, first-generation Americans from former Yugoslavia, and raised in Cliffside Park, NJ. He attended Xavier High School, where he played basketball. His dedication to his academics and to improving himself as an athlete won him the Leo F. Paquin Trophy and earned him a spot playing varsity basketball at Columbia University, where he studied history and met many lifelong friends.
After college, Joe attended Boston College Law School and clerked for a judge in Augusta, Maine before returning to New York to practice law. He and Cindy met, in true New York City fashion, at a bar, and moved to Montclair shortly after they were married. He worked as an attorney at several firms, spending his final twenty years practicing law at Kelley Drye & Warren in Parsippany.
Joe enjoyed meeting up with his college buddies and their families in different spots every summer for the Fourth of July. With his kids, he loved to talk about current events and social reform, the New York Mets, and college and professional basketball. He and Cindy took many memorable trips together, during which they always enjoyed exploring their destination on foot.
Joe will be remembered for his compassion towards others, his pragmatic outlook on life, his humility in both his accomplishments and his good works, his quiet humor, and his love of cats. In his final months, Joe assured his children many times that he had a very good life and felt incredibly grateful for the privileges and opportunities that allowed him to achieve what he had. We are, in turn, grateful for the privileges and opportunities that he has allowed us by being an unparalleled father, husband, son, and friend.
In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by his uncle John Mesich (Diane) of Howell, niece Courtney Vidulich Patterson (Robert) of Senatobia, MS, and many dear friends. In death, he is united with his father Joe Vidulich (1925-2005) and brother Edward Vidulich (1957-2008).
A visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 17 from 4-8 pm at Caggiano Memorial Home in Montclair, and a funeral mass will be held at 10:30 am on Thursday, August 18 at Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Montclair. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Joe may be made to the Melanoma Research Alliance (curemelanoma.org)