Obituary of Cosmo Cotroneo

Cosmo Cotroneo, 81, passed peacefully in his sleep on November 26, 2023. He was the beloved husband of Teresa Cotroneo (2013), father of Teresa McQuade (2012) and son Cosmo, and grandfather of Rebecca and Joseph McQuade (2011). He is survived by his son, granddaughter, and two brothers. Born in Brooklyn, he was one of four brothers with whom he loved to deer hunt and fish with, later including the nephews and cousins on trips Upstate. He went into the air force at eighteen after graduating high school, was stationed in Maine, and visited his family and then girlfriend Teresa on weekend sabbaticals. They married in June and returned to the air force base until his honorable discharge. There they met lifelong friends Bill and Marie Nichols. He and his wife settled back in Brooklyn soon after, already expecting their first child, where he eventually started his lumber and window business with his partners John Benevento and Jimmy Gambale. Cosmo went above and beyond when it came to his family. He and his wife raised two independent, hard working kids who made them impossibly proud. He donated his kidney to his brother John, and he took care of his wife’s every need once her health started to decline. There was always a nugget of wisdom to share, some piece of helpful advice in his back pocket. He absolutely loved his days in Florida, golfing, making new friends, and enjoying every moment that he’d worked so hard for before his retirement. Somewhere out there, he’s still telling stories on a back porch, smoking his cigars with a gin and tonic in his hand, and listening to Tony Bennett. He’s got a line a mile long welcoming him into Heaven. We’ll miss him dearly down here. Visitation is at Matthew Funeral Home on Wednesday, November 29th from 2pm to 5pm, and 7pm to 9pm. The funeral service will be Thursday November 30th at 9:30am at Our Lady of Pity Church, with the burial to follow at Gertrude’s Cemetery in Colonia, NJ.