Benedetto "Ben" Lucchese

Benedetto "Ben" Lucchese, 80, born June 14, 1929 in Brooklyn, NY, passed from this life into his Savior's grace on Monday, May 17, 2010. He was greeted by the loving embrace of his parents, Antonette and Vito; and his sister, Bea who preceded him in death. Ben was a veteran, having served his country in the U.S. Navy. He relocated to the area in the 1960's as an engineer on the Apollo projects with Grumman Corp. As a long time resident of Cocoa Beach, Ben was an active member of the Church of Our Savior and owned Music Machine, the first mobile DJ service in Brevard. He was well known for years as the "Music Man" and along with his ex-wife, Marilyn, helped many people to celebrate the happy times of their lives. Ben retired from Harris Corp. as a design engineer and moved to Melbourne to be closer to his children and grandchildren. Ben will be deeply missed by all of those who loved him. He is survived by his devoted wife of nearly nine years, Claire; sons, Bill Lucchese (Sylvia), and KC Lucchese; daughters, Marin Lawrence (Ben), and Maura Emerson; five grandchildren, Christopher, Kimberly, Andrew, Phoebe, and Adam; sisters, Cilla Wasner, Vita Maggio, and Sr. Annette Lucchese; former in-laws, Michael and Kristine; Claire's children; Mike, Karen, Keily, and their families; and friends from Club Ivy. In celebration of Ben's life, a Catholic Mass will be held at 11:30 a.m. on June 8th at Ascension Catholic Church in Melbourne. Final internment with military honors will be at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL on June 9th. Ben's little dogs brought him such joy that in lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Central Brevard Humane Society.