Joaquim F. Duraes

Joaquim Duraes passed away peacefully on Tuesday morning, October 7, 2025, at JFK Memorial Hospital in Edison, New Jersey. He was born in Galegos São Martinho, Portugal, and emigrated to the United States in 1972 in pursuit of a better life for his family. He was 78 years old.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Maria Duraes; his daughters, Carla Duraes and Susie Duraes Matos; his sons-in-law, Eugenio Matos and Sergio Agostinho; and his cherished grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Emanuel, Michael, and Matthew, Brianna, Junior and little Logan. Joaquim was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

Joaquim was a proud Portuguese American, who enthusiastically shared stories of his time as a labor in the construction of NYC skyscrapers. He loved the city and became a life long Yankee fan, which he shared with his grandkids. He loved playing his accordion and singing desafio at family and friend gatherings. Once you got him going, it was an entertainingly good time. He was a devoted husband and father who deeply loved his family, all the while driving them crazy with his unrelenting determination. He had a big heart and genuine desire to be helpful. He was a faithful man who placed his trust in Jesus and the Blessed Mother to the very end.

Friends and family are invited to pay their respects during visitation at the Galante Funeral Home in Union, NJ, on October 8, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. A Mass celebrating his life will take place on October 9, 2025, at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Elizabeth, NJ, starting at 10:00 AM, interment following at St. Gertrude's Cemetery in Colonia.

Joaquim F. Duraes will be dearly missed, but his memory will live on through the love he shared and the lives he touched.