Joseph Anthony Siefring Jr.

HAMPTON - On Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008, Joseph Anthony Siefring Jr., age 87, passed away peacefully at his home in Hampton after a long battle with cancer. At his passing he was surrounded by his loving family.
Joseph A. Siefring was born June 30, 1921, in Lynbrook, N.Y., to Joseph Siefring Sr. and Gertrude Conklin Siefring. He grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y. The family included his four sisters and one brother. He is survived by his sisters, Winifred Gray and Mary Oswalt, both of Meredith, N.H.
Prior to graduation from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1939 Joseph joined the Army National Guard. After a stint with the MP Battalion in 1941, he joined the regular Army Air Force, serving from 1941 to 1945. While stationed at Lavenham Air Base in England he worked as a flight engineer gunner, part of a 10-man crew of a B-17 bomber, making over 25 bombing runs over Germany and France in Air Offensive Normandy, including two on D-Day. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and an air medal with 3 oak leaf clusters.
Upon leaving the Army Air Force, Joseph joined the NACA (now NASA) in 1947. In his 33 year career at NASA he was most proud of his contributions to the success of the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab space programs. After retirement from NASA Joseph continued to work as an engineering aide at Wylie Laboratories.
Joseph's artistic talents were evident from a young age, and he displayed them in many media: painting in water colors, pastels, pen and ink, and oils. He continued to paint during his entire lifetime. Over the years he enjoyed wood working and golf, serving as a volunteer for the Anheuser Busch Golf Tournament. He was an avid gardener, achieving the designation of master gardener.
Joseph was a devoted husband and loving father. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Margaret Lyons Siefring, and by six of his children, Margaret Marlin of Overland Park, Kan., Craig Jernigan (Dean) of Newport News, Va., Anna Cottrell of West Palm Beach, Fla., Pauline Siefring of Laurel, Md., Joseph A. Siefring III (Edith) of West Point, and Jessica Malafeew (Eric) of Lexington, Mass.; 15 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren with one on the way.
He was predeceased by his two sons, William Joseph Siefring and Stephen Lyons Siefring, and two grandchildren, Phillip Walter Jernigan and Eva Marie Jernigan.
A visitation will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, at Riverside-Altmeyer Funeral Home, 7415 River Road, Newport News.
A Funeral Mass will be conducted at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Harpersville Road, Newport News. A burial service will be held immediately after at Hampton National Cemetery, Phoebus Section. View and post condolences on our online guestbook at dailypress.com/guestbooks.