Joseph E. Lelli Sr. of Framingham died peacefully on May 28, 2013. Born in Bologna Italy in 1921, he immigrated to the United States in 1928 and eventually settled in Framingham. During World War II he served in the United States Army. Joe joined the service in October of 1942 and left for Europe the following year. He spent three years in the Ardennes Rhineland in Central Europe serving in the 101st Airborne Divisionthe "Screaming Eagles". He was awarded the European-African Eastern Campaign Ribbon with three service stars. Following the war, Joe returned to Framingham and in 1949 he married the former Caroline S. Santolucito of Waltham. They were married fifty-one years until Caroline's death in 2001. His passions were his family, gardening, the Red Sox, and ballroom dancing. His devotion to his church, St. Tarcisicus, was an integral part of his life. He was an extra-ordinary minister and served on numerous committees to better his parish. He was member of the St. Tarcisicus bowling team for 59 years. He leaves his four children, Patricia Skiles of Stoneham, Joseph E. Lelli Jr., and his wife Donna of Plymouth, Paul Lelli and his wife Nancy of Northbridge and Carol Fleet and her husband, Chris of Medway; his sister Josephine Carroll and her husband Dennis of New Hampshire and six grand-children, Michael, Erica, Brian, Jessica, Lauren and Gregory and three great grand-children, Gwennyth, Sawyer and Caroline and several nephews and nieces.