Dr. Joseph Cortese, Dds

Joseph Anthony Cortese, 94, of Urbandale, passed away on Thursday, February 16, 2017. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:30 PM on Monday, February 20, 2017 at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Des Moines. Visitation will be from 1:00 PM – 2:10 PM at the church, with a Rosary at 2:10 PM. Burial at Glendale Cemetery will follow Mass. Joe was born on January 26, 1923 in Des Moines to his parents, Sam and Jenny (DeMarco) Cortese. He was a 1940 graduate of North High School in Des Moines, he attended the University of Iowa, and he went on to graduate from Saint Louis University School of Dentistry in 1947. Joe began his career in 1947 as the first pediatric dentist in the Des Moines area. He married the love of his life, Kathryn Marasco, on January 12, 1951. They had 3 children. During the first 20 years of Joe’s dental practice, he worked weekdays at his office practice and nights and weekends as a pediatric oral surgeon at Mercy Medical Center and Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Following his retirement from dentistry in 1987, Joe first sold cars for several years, he delivered meals on wheels, and he worked at Sears Hearing Aid Center. Most recently, from 2003 until 2016, he sold cars and helped run the lot for Truck City, Inc. in Des Moines. Joe is survived by his wife, Kathy; sons Lawrence Cortese, Joseph Cortese II (Diane) and John Cortese (Kathy D’Amato-Cortese); grandchildren, Aimee Beall, Joseph Cortese III, Emily Cortese, James Cortese, Kathryn Bisanti and JonCarlo Cortese; and 15 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Gloria Boyt, and his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Mike and Kay Marasco, both of Des Moines. Joe was preceded in death by his parents. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts can be made to St. Theresa Catholic Church or Dowling Catholic High School.