10/29/2025
Team Highlight!
Joseph E. Deko
Owner
Joe is a life-long resident of East Haven. He is a graduate of East Haven High School class of 2005, and proud member of the EHHS Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Graduate- Class of 2024. He is the son of Susan and the late Robert “Bobby” Deko. He has two brothers, Robert Jr., and Anthony Deko. Joe is the epitome of a public servant, he is a career firefighter in Guilford, CT, a position he has held since March of 2010; he is the treasurer of the Riverside Volunteer Fire Company in East Haven; He is a member of the East Haven Democratic Town Committee, and is a fourth time elected member of the East Haven Legislative Town Council serving as the Chairman for the third term. Joe was the Vice President of the Guilford Professional Firefighters Union- Local 4177 for many years. He is an active member of St. Pio of Pietrelcina Parish and currently serves on the Parish Council and a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 3300. Joe is the past President and trustee of the Shore Line Trolley Museum and Branford Electric Railway Association. He is a board member of Our Community Hero’s Incorporated, which is a non-profit organization that his brother Robert founded, which provides care packages for deployed members of the military from East Haven, and surrounding communities, as well as providing financial relief to families of first responders who have either passed away or are disabled from injuries sustained from duty.
He is very proud of his family and his hometown. His father Bobby was an East Haven firefighter prior to his death; his mom Sue is a nurse and has worked at various assisted living facilities, his brother Robert is a police officer with the North Branford Police Department, and his brother Anthony is a firefighter for FDNY assigned to Engine 298 in Queens.
Joe began his funeral career in early 2013. Working in a funeral home was always a goal of his, one he talked about since he was a young child. After the sudden passing of his father, Joe felt that he needed to fulfill his dream of providing high quality death care, just as he was shown when his father passed away. He met with David Brennan of East Haven Memorial who was in need of an extra set of hands. He attended Mortuary School at Lincoln College of New England in 2014 after working with David for over a year. Lincoln College was then bought out by Goodwin University which is where he graduated from. While attending Goodwin, He obtained certification through the National Funeral Directors Association as a Certified Cremation Service Provider. He also served on the Funeral Service Advisory Board for Goodwin University for three years, and during the accreditation process from the American Board of Funeral Service Education. Joe lives in East Haven with his wife Kristina and their chocolate lab Bruno.
