By Brian Hews
California State Assemblyman Mike Gatto announced that a funeral mass will be held for his father Joseph Gatto, who was shot a killed last week by an unknown suspect at his Silverlake home.
The funeral will be held on Monday, November 25, 2013, at 10:00 am, at Our Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church (2060 North Vermont Avenue) in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Justin Hager, Press Secretary for Gatto, said that a private reception and graveside burial will follow the funeral mass but that both “will be strictly limited to family and close friends of the deceased.”
In lieu of flowers, the Gatto family requests donations be sent to one of their father’s three favorite charities:
(1) The Historic Italian Hall Foundation (125 Paseo De la Plaza, Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90012; 213-485-8432)
(2) The Los Angeles Community Garden Council (4470 W. Sunset Blvd. #381, Los Angeles, CA 90027; 323-942-WORM)
(3) or, The Tuition Magician, Attn: Joe Gatto Arts Scholarship (4470 West Sunset Blvd. #378, Los Angeles, CA 90027)
“Joseph Gatto was a passionate artist, jewelry craftsman, teacher, author, and devoted father and grandfather,” Hager said in a statement.
“He retired in 2002 after more than 45 years as an art and design teacher who taught at both the primary and college levels, including Pierce College, California State University at Northridge, California State University at Los Angeles, the Otis Parson Art Institute, and the Art Center in Pasadena. He was also the founder and longtime chairman of the Visual Arts Department at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Joe’s professional accolades include being honored twice at the White House, among numerous other awards and recognitions,” Hager said.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s investigation into Gatto’s death is ongoing.