Peter DiGiambattista, Bellmawr councilman

Peter A. DiGiambattista, 67, of Bellmawr, a longtime borough councilman who in the 1980s was instrumental in the formation of the Camden County Joint Insurance Fund, died of an aneurysm on Thursday, Aug. 19, at Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury.

After attending Villanova University for a semester, Mr. DiGiambattista left to pursue a career in insurance. It was the "up-and-coming thing" in the early 1960s, his wife, Elaine, said.

Mr. DiGiambattista became an independent insurance agent and helped various municipalities save money by starting a process in which the municipalities were self-insured.

In the late 1980s, South Jersey towns were receiving high insurance bills they couldn't afford. Mr. DiGiambattista organized the effort for those towns to be part of a self-insured pool called the Camden County Joint Municipal Insurance Fund.

The fund started with 13 municipalities in the mid-1980s and currently has more than 350 towns participating, his wife said.

Mr. DiGiambattista was born and raised in South Philadelphia. He graduated from Bishop Neumann High School in 1961, and in 1964, he married Elaine Imperatore.

Mr. DiGiambattista started his career in the mailroom of Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Co. He worked at two other Philadelphia-based insurers before starting his own business in Bellmawr.

In 1984 he started Peter Dee Insurance. When he retired in 1998, he sold the business to his son. The company merged with other agencies and is now called Associated Insurance Partners.

Mr. DiGiambattista continued to work with AIP as an independent agent, his wife said.

As a councilman for the last 16 years, Mr. DiGiambattista served on various committees, Bellmawr Mayor Frank Filipek said, but his main task was handling the borough's budget.

"He was an honest guy, straight to the point," Filipek said. "A very dedicated council member."

In addition to his wife, Mr. DiGiambattista is survived by a son, Peter Jr.; a daughter, Eileen Gorski; five grandchildren; and two sisters.

A viewing will be held from 8 to 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, at Gardner Funeral Home in Runnemede. A Funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 24, at Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church, Bellmawr.

Interment will be in New St. Mary's Cemetery, Bellmawr.