Joseph Gerard Hodel was born on October 26, 1958, in Woodside, Queens, NY. Joseph was the fifth of eleven children born to Frank and Eileen Hodel. During his early years, he was very athletic and played in the outfield for St. Sebastian's Baseball Team. He was physically fit, ate right and was concerned about his health. He graduated from St. Sebastian's Elementary School, then attended Aviation High School eventually graduating from William Cullen Bryant High School in Astoria to focus on an advanced college related curriculum. After High School, he received his undergraduate degree from Le Moyne College in Syracuse and his graduate degree from the University at Albany.

Joseph was very book smart and was often reading various articles surrounding numerous topics. He had an aptitude in the art of debating and would often express his wisdom on entertainment, sports and political subject matters. He very much enjoyed motion pictures and was frequently heard quoting lines from movies.

After college, he became a Financial Analyst and advanced to Vice President at Nomura Asset Management. Joseph had great ability to rate a stock based on all the company research he conducted. He did not make himself available each day until after the market closed so he could remain laser focused on his portfolio. Since leaving Nomura, Joseph was self-employed as a Day Trader and built a stock portfolio.

He lived in Stuyvesant Town—Peter Cooper Village in Manhattan from the 1980's until his untimely death. He would spend much of his down time in the Catskill Mountains where he loved exploring hiking trails. He enjoyed sunbathing and once developed melanoma cancer—which he fully recovered from.

Joseph will be laid to rest in Gate of Heaven cemetery in Valhalla, NY amongst some of the NY Yankee legendary players and actor, Jimmy Cagney.

Joseph is survived by 6 brothers, 4 sisters, 11 nieces, 6 nephews, 3 grand-nephews, and 3 grand-nieces

Funeral Mass will be held 12:00 pm on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at Gate Of Heaven Cemetery, 10 W. Stevens Avenue, Valhalla, NY. Burial will follow the Mass.