Valentine "Val" Panaccione passed away on September 12, 2026, at age 99 years and 7 months.

Val was born in Jersey City, NJ, on February 14, 1927, to Luigi and Lauretta Panaccione. When Val was a boy, his family, including his older brother Daniel and his younger sisters Frances and Anna, relocated to Kerhonkson, N.Y., where their father, Luigi, worked on the reservoirs that supplied New York City with water.

After graduating from Kerhonkson High School, Val enlisted in the Army and, after boot camp, was deployed to Italy as a Staff Sergeant with the Blue Devils operations. His fluency in Italian led to his assignment to a small commando unit operating alongside Italian troops, clearing the massive fortifications the Germans still occupied in a region called the Vallo Alpino, "The Alpine Wall." In his off time as a soldier, Val was the Light Middleweight Boxing Champion of the European Front.

A few years after returning from the war, Val went back to Italy for an extended visit with family in the village of Panaccioni near the city of Cassino. There, he met Concettina "Connie," and it was love at first sight. Within six months, Val and Connie were married, and Connie followed her new husband to Kerhonkson.

Together, Val and Connie joined Val's family in the restaurant business, eventually purchasing the Cassino Restaurant from Val's parents and running it successfully until they sold it in the summer of 1974. They went on to earn their real estate licenses, working together in the Tampa, Fla., area for Watson Realty before returning to Kerhonkson to build their own agency, Val Panaccione Realty.

Val and Connie shared 67 years of marriage before her passing in 2019, and not a night passed since then that Val didn't stop to kiss Connie's photo good night and tell her he loved her and would join her soon.

Everyone who met him knew Val as one of the kindest, gentlest men anyone could hope to know. He lived for family and could never have enough time with them; being with family and friends was, first and foremost, what Val loved most.

Val gave himself not only to family but also to people he met at The Cassino Restaurant. Val never met a stranger; only a friend he hadn't gotten to know yet. His generous spirit also extended to his community, where he served for many years on the Wawarsing Town Board and the Rondout Valley School Board. He was also a member of the VFW, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, the Pine Bush Cemetery Committee, and a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus.

Val is survived by his son John and his wife Mary Ellen of Jacksonville, Fla., and their children Gregory, wife Laurie, and daughter Bella; and Christopher and Val’s son Carlo, wife Julie of Los Altos Hills, Calif., and their three children Madeline, Nicholas, and Isabella. Val is also survived by his beloved niece and nephew, Laura Ayasse, husband Charlie, son Andrew (wife Dhariana) and Darryl Scraggs, and his spouse Theresa, who were cherished as if they were his own son, daughter, and grandson. He is also survived by his nephews and nieces, Lori Panaccione Powers, Kim Panaccione-Greene, Shane Panaccione, Tonino Di Mambro, Franco Di Mambro, Serena Di Mambro and Lara Di Mambro.

Beyond Val’s immediate family, he is survived by seemingly countless cousins here and abroad.

Val, “Uncle Val” to many, will always be remembered for his kindness, strength, dedication to family and community, and one legendary NY-style pizza.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Val’s name to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church of Kerhonkson smsaparish.org or in honor of his beloved wife, the Cure Alzheimer's Fund at curealz.org.

Arrangements are under the care of Humiston Funeral Home, 30 42nd Street, Kerhonkson, NY 12446. Visitation will take place at Humiston Funeral Home on Friday, September 18, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

A Funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026 beginning at 10:00 AM in Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 12446 US 209, Kerhonkson, NY 12446.

Burial will follow the Funeral Mass at Pine Bush Cemetery in Kerhonkson, NY, with a reception to follow.

Oh behalf of the staff at Humiston Funeral Home, it is our honor to assist Val’s family in celebrating a life so beautifully marked by love, faith, service, and devotion to family. May his gentle strength, generous heart, and welcoming spirit remain a source of comfort to all who knew and loved him. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends, and join them in remembering a man whose life touched so many.