“ JOE CASINO ” BERENATO |
himself have any children named Joe Berenato .
“ My wife wouldn ’ t let me have any children named ‘ Joe .’ She said there was too many of us . I still get mad about it ,” he said .
His cousin , Joseph “ Pepe ” Berenato , said that there have been so many Joe Berenatos that the family has long-since adopted a method to delineate one from another .
“ You have to have a nickname . You need a nickname ,
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( L-R ) JOSEPH D . “ JOEY ” BERENATO , JR . STANDS WITH HIS SON , JOSEPH D . BERENATO III , AND HIS FATHER , JOSEPH D . “ JOE BLUEBERRY ” BERENATO SR .
there are a lot . They say , ‘ Which one are you ?’ all the time ,” he said .
Joseph D . Berenato Jr .— known as “ Joey ,” or “ Joe Blue Jr .”— noted that mistaken identity is common .
“ It ’ s crazy , because people always have to make sure they are talking to the correct Joe Berenato . I ’ ve gotten mail and phone calls for other Joes . People ask my wife if [ Gazette writer Joseph F . Berenato ] is the Joe Berenato she is married
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to . She always says , ‘ His dad is Joe , the one with the twin ,’” he said .
“ Pepe ” Berenato said that lineage is another effective identifier , something which all Joe Berenatos should have at the ready .
“ Be prepared to explain
yourself , who you ’ re related to , who your father is , who your mother is and all in that regard ,” he said .
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JOSEPH “ PEPE ” BERENATO ( RIGHT ) POSES WITH HIS FATHER , JOSEPH “ JOE PEACH ” BERENATO ( LEFT ). |
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“ Joe Casino ” Berenato said that such inquiries are not just limited to Hammonton ’ s borders , either .
“ When I go out of town and I have to do something where I write my name , they always ask , ‘ Which Berenato are you ? I know the Berenatos from Hammonton .’ The Berenatos are the Smiths of Hammonton ,” he said .
“ Joey ” Berenato said that there is a major expectation of those named Joe Berenato .
“ We ’ re expected to know how many Joe Berenatos there are and how we are related , because — let ’ s be honest — we are all related somehow ,” he said .
“ Joe Boy ” Berenato listed several qualities associated with the name .
“ Be truthful . Be a good person . Do right by everybody ; I ’ ve always felt that way . Be a hard worker ; you ’ ve got to be a hard worker if you ’ re a Joe Berenato . There ’ s no doubt about that ; it comes with the name . If you ’ re a Joe Berenato , you ’ re known to work — and that ’ s how it ’ s always been ,” he said . “ Pepe ” Berenato concurred . “ I think we ’ re overall good people ; I don ’ t know any bad ones . We ’ re hard-working ,” he said .
Those qualities associated with the name are part of what prompted “ Joey ” Berenato to name his son Joe — specifically , Joseph D . Berenato III .
See BERENATO , P . 20
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