By Emily J. Minor
DELRAY BEACH — William Samuel “Billy” Calabretta, known around this beach community for his shrewd business mind, the sand in his shoes — when he was wearing them — and a quick and handsome smile, died May 16 from complications of cancer. He was 52.
His wife, Jocelyn, said she and their dog, Roxi, have spent the weeks following his death “lost without him.”
“He was loved by so many people in Delray Beach,” said Jocelyn Calabretta, who said it was “love at first sight” when the couple met at a party in 1985. “There’s never going to be another Billy.”
Mr. Calabretta, who moved from West Virginia to Florida in the early 1980s, was a well-known financial planning specialist at Morgan Stanley Financial Group in Boca Raton, where he also held the position of managing director. His personality, which loved ones say can only be described as “big,” and his love for the world of high stakes wealth investment made him a sought-after adviser at the firm. Respected for growing wealth even through the most challenging of economic times, Mr. Calabretta had received many notable recognitions in the financial world and had recently been featured in Forbes magazine, his wife said.
But while he did love people, numbers and beating the odds, it was the ocean, the outdoors and his family that held the biggest part of his heart.
“He would walk into a room and heads would turn,” she said. “He worked so hard, and our dream was to travel the world.”
Mrs. Calabretta said her husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer about three years ago, but continued to work, often at a worrisome pace, and enjoy his beloved outdoors. The couple had been married for 15 years and was well known in their coastal neighborhood for walking down to the water with their sand chairs to sit and enjoy the view — and each other’s company.
The youngest of three — born to middle-aged parents and with two sisters who were a bit older — Mr. Calabretta was loved and appreciated for both his mind and his charm. His parents, William and Rose Oliverio Calabretta, preceded him in death. His father died when Mr. Calabretta was a young man. But his mother lived on for many years, and her only son doted on her, especially as she became older and more frail, his wife said.
Besides his wife, survivors include his sister and brother-in-law, Deborah and Randy Renner of Delray Beach, and another sister and brother-in-law, Connie and Kevin Brogan, of St. Simons Island, Ga. Many nieces and nephews also survive him.
A celebration of life was held in May at the Seagate Beach Club. The family asks that any memorials be made to Hospice by the Sea, 5300 East Ave., West Palm Beach, FL 33407. Hospice by the Sea is also known as TrustBridge.
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