Mechanicsburg, PA - Joel Joseph Santolla, 75, entered into eternal life on May 14, 2025, after a three-year illness.

Joel was the loving husband of 48 years to Annette (Audino), devoted father to Jennedy Johnson and Joelle (Pearce) Shea, and caring "Nampa" to Gigi, Lucy, Eleanor and Estie.

He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Dolores Audino; sister-in-law, Anna Audino; godson, Joseph Motto; goddaughter, Elizabeth Heinrich Zechman; and many beloved family and friends.

Joel was preceded in death by his parents, Giuseppe (Joe) and Eugenia (Jennie) Santolla; father-in-law, John Audino; and birth parents, Blendora Simoni and Travis Webb. Inspired by the actions of his biological and adoptive parents, Joel volunteered and served on the board of directors at Morning Star Pregnancy Services for more than 15 years.

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Hopewell, Pennsylvania, at a young age he became a talented pianist and passed that love of music onto his daughters and granddaughters.

Like most men in the town, he worked for a time at Jones and Laughlin Steel and was drafted into the Army. Joel served in the 82nd Airborne Division as a stateside paratrooper during the Vietnam War.

He then moved to New Castle, where he met the love of his life, Annette, at a fundraiser for a charity that helps Pennsylvanians with special needs. They went on to enjoy five decades of family, travel, good food, hard work and learning together.

Joel worked his entire career in finance, eventually managing hundreds of people along the East Coast for Wells Fargo Financial. Successful in business, his biggest work-related impact was in mentoring and guiding his employees and teammates to personal and career success, still sharing wisdom with them even years after his retirement.

In New Castle, he was a member of Kiwanis Club and the Wolves Club and served on the board of ARC (then PARC) of Pennsylvania and the New Castle Public Library.

He was an active member of St. Joseph Parish in Mechanicsburg, where he served as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 20, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 400 E. Simpson Street, Mechanicsburg, where there will be a visitation from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Burial with military honors will take place at Gate of Heaven Cemetery immediately following Mass.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Morning Star Pregnancy Services, 2509 N. Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110.