Alphonse DiMaio, minority leader’s father, dies at 89

Alphonse A. DiMaio, a former Hackettstown councilman and the father of Assembly Minority Leader John DiMaio, died on December 27.  He was 89.

A former high school football star and U.S. Army National Guard veteran, DiMaio was a partner in two construction companies and a popular local elected official.

DiMaio was elected as a Democrat to the Hackettstown Town Council in 1966 and re-elected in 1969.   He served as a member of the Hackettstown Planning Board.

In 1951, DiMaio earned All-State honors as a member of the Hackettstown High School football team.  He served in the New Jersey National Guard from 1951 to 1960 and in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1960 to 1962.

In addition to his son, DiMaio is survived by his wife, Shirley Ann, his daughter, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A visitation will be held on January 4 at the Cochran Funeral Home in Hackettstown from 4-9 PM, followed by funeral services at 11 AM on January 5.