One by one, family, friends and former band mates rose to speak during a memorial of Joe Maccarillo's music and life. They recalled a devoted family man, a great friend, and a great bandleader.
Hailey resident and musician Maccarillo, 66, died Wednesday, Jan 4, and was honored Monday, Jan. 9, in the Limelight Room in the Sun Valley Inn. His wife, Janice, three children, siblings, nieces, nephews and grandchildren were all in attendance.
Before the official proceedings began, a slide show ran on several large screens, showing Maccarillo through his childhood in New Jersey to his life and work in the Wood River Valley. His trio. with bandmates Jim Watkinson and Ted Dyer, played swing tunes as accompaniment. Eric Larsen played bass, as he is currently doing in the Lodge Dining Room, where the Joe Maccarillo Trio entertained for years.
The Rev. Shawn McCarty of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Hailey facilitated the service.
"He was the greatest, kindest man in the world. He gave so much of his heart to others," his daughter Tina Hathhorn said. "He was my hero. I thought he was superman."
Pete Kramer, of Hailey, a neighbor and longtime friend, said, "His sense of community was an inspiration. I will go through life saying I was honored to have known Joe Maccarillo. I'd like to be as good at living as Joe was."
Maccarillo had a 52-year gig at Sun Valley Resort. "He has said it was the 'one and only gig for me,'" son-in-law Bryan Hathhorn said. "Joe was taught to have a passion for bringing joy and music to others. He said, 'I'm not in the music business, I'm in the people pleasing business.'"
Claude Guigon, assistant general manager of Sun Valley Co., said, "We developed such a wonderful friendship. He was a great man, an honest man, a family man. He had a great smile and laugh. We concluded just a couple weeks ago we had spent 3,500 evenings together, more than with our own wives in that time. Fortunately we spent the rest of the night with our wives.
"He was so dedicated to his job," Guigon continued. "His favorite song to play was 'Happy Days are Here Again.' That's just the way it was with Joe."
An obituary for Joe Maccarillo can be found on Page A22 of the printed edtion of the January 11, 2006 Idaho Mountain Express.
Joe Maccarillo Photo by Willy Cook
