AUBURN - Joseph A. Colella Sr., 83, of 314 Clark St., Auburn, died Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2004, in Palm Beach Garden, Fla.

A life resident of Auburn, Joseph was a communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Church. He was a veteran of World War II, having served with the Army Air Corps. With his late wife Bridget, Joe operated the Town Tavern in Ovid, and later with Bridget and his son Joseph Jr., owned and operated the Hollywood Restaurant in Auburn.

Joe was a member and past president of the New York State Restaurant Association, and was awarded the title of Restaurateur of the Year in 1975, by the Restaurant Owners Association of Central New York. He was a member of the International Food Service Executive Association and a member of the Auburn Lions Club and the Elks BPOE Lodge 474 in Auburn. Joe was an avid hunter and baseball fan.

The son of the late Anthony and Josephine Vasile Colella, Joe is survived by four sons, Anthony of Jackpot, Nev., David of Dallas, Texas, and Daniel and his wife Terry, and Joseph Jr., all of Auburn; a daughter, Judy Watters of Fairfax, Va.; two sisters, Mary Grudzien and Vincenta (Vinnie) Gordon and her husband Philip, all of Auburn; and brother, Anthony Colella and his wife Nancy of Auburn; seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and a companion, Lore Klorman.

He was predeceased by a brother, Louis Colella.

A Mass of Christian burial will be concelebrated by the Rev. Fathers Louis Vasile and Peter DeBellis, at 10 a.m. Tuesday, in St. Francis Church. Burial will be in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Friends are invited to call from 4 to 8 p.m. today, at the Cheche Funeral Home, 1778 Clark St., Auburn. Members of Auburn Elks Lodge 474 BPOE will conduct services at 7:45 p.m. Monday, at the funeral home.

Contributions may be made in memory of Joseph to the American Association of Kidney Patients, 6801 Lake Worth Road, Suite 110, Lake Worth, FL 33467.