Joseph S Konopka

Obituary Joseph S Konopka age 81 of Glen Ridge died on Friday December 6 at Canterbury at Cedar Grove. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend the funeral on Monday December 9, at 9:00am from the Laskowski Funeral Home ( Union Funeral Home) 1600 Stuyvesant Ave, Union NJ followed by a mass at 10:00am at St Stanislaus Church 146 Irvine Turner BLVD Newark NJ, and entombment at St Gertrude Cemetery Colonia. Visitation will be on Sunday from 1-3pm, Joseph Konopka was born in 1932 in Philadelphia moving to NJ at age seven. He resided in Glen Ridge for over 53 years. Joe graduated from Cooper Union and attended Columbia University. He was a highly acclaimed artist serving as vice president of the New Jersey Artists Association during his career. His works are part of the collections in hundreds of museums in 48 states, as well as museums in Europe and the collection of the Vactican. He was the co owner of a gallery in New York and his paintings are also part of many private art collections. Joe served in the United States Army where he worked as an aide to President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House. He worked at NBC as a scenic artist, a career that would span 60 years. Joe enjoyed working at NBC going to New York every day and never retiring. Along with numerous shows at the start of his career he worked on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Conan Obrien and David Letterman. Joe also spent many summers as the scenic artist for the Miss America Pagent in one of his favorite NJ places Atlantic City. Joe enjoyed the numerous co-workers he had during his career becoming close personal friends with many. Joe leaves behind his wife Casey, brothers John and Edward, numerous nephews, nieces, godchildren and their children.