Dear Editor:
Recently the city of Hoboken and the Hoboken Police Department lost one of its icons, a man and police officer (retired) named Joseph Nardello, who many of you knew by the name we affectionately called Knobby.
I have known Joe my whole life and considered him and his family like family of my own.
You would see him around the city, at times either riding his bike, sitting on benches on Washington Street, or at the St. Ann’s Feast or church which he also served just as proudly as he did the citizens of Hoboken and the Hoboken Police Department for many many years.
I fondly remember Joe at many of our police functions where he would always pitch in and help, especially when it involved cooking on a barbecue grill. He would say, hey kid (he always called me kid no matter where he saw me), get out of the way and would put an apron on, and the men and women of our department would love it and come to the grill just to get yelled at by Joe, who also loved it. Joe Knobby was also a fixture in our Hoboken Ragamuffin Parade in years passing, dressing up as one of the Marx Brothers and making many of the children and adults laugh with some of the other police officers for those of you who remember.
Knobby was truly a character who loved his family, friends, the Hoboken Police and Fire Departments (two of his sons are firemen, James and Joseph), St. Ann’s Church and the city of Hoboken.
So in closing this small tribute to my friend Knobby, on behalf of myself and the many friends that he had in the police department, I say we will always have the apron ready for you. Now Joe, you will be Forever on Patrol in Heaven. May you Rest in Peace.
Mark Aurigemma
Hoboken Police Department