Joseph C. Dell, Jr.
Joseph C. Dell, Jr.
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Joseph Dell, Jr. Obituary
Joe was born December 1, 1934 to Joseph and Rose (Roberts) Dell of Port Washington, NY where he graduated high school. At the University of Maine he was chosen to be the Danforth Fellow of 1955. He received his BS in Animal Husbandry and MS in Animal Industry. His dream was to move to the Finger Lakes area of NYS and work with farmers to explore his strong ideas of developing healthy, long-lived dairy cows through new knowledge of nutrition, genetics and rotating pastures.
He met his future wife, Judith Sawyer at the University of Maine and married in 1959. They moved to Ithaca, NY in 1960 where he worked as a County Agent for Cornell Cooperative Extension. Later he joined Cornell's Dairy Team Specialists.
They raised their family on their beloved Woodwind Farm in nearby Mecklenburg. There he developed a small herd of Registered Holsteins while using the farm to experiment with Cornell on alternative pesticide-free field crop controls. Joe was also a founding member of the Ithaca Farmers Market. He helped build the pavilion and loved socializing with his "sweet corn customers".
He is survived by his wife, Judy, and their three children, Catherine Phipps (Dan) Sine; Jennifer (Lars) Dell-Ernstrom and Andrew (Sheila) Dell; five grandchildren; Ryan (Melissa) Phipps; Emily Phipps; Emil (Lauren Ribordy) Ernstrom; Nicole (Cole) Weber and Jacqueline (Stephen) Johnson and great-granddaughter, Harper Phipps.
A special thank you to Doylestown Health Hospice for their compassionate and caring support.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Joseph G. Dell
June 6, 2025
Sending much love to the entire family. I am the son of Joseph T. Dell also of Port Washington. On behalf of your family on Long Island we send much love. May his memory be a blessing.
Amy Greene
March 18, 2025
I'm so sorry to hear your sad news of Joseph's passing. To borrow from a poem that I have found helpful:
"...When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart; We remember them.
When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them.
When we have joy we crave to share; We remember them.
When we have achievements that are based on theirs; We remember them.
For as long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as, We remember them."
Marie Collins
March 6, 2025
Joe
There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.
Joseph Dell opened his home and heart to me over 58 years ago through the Fresh Air Fund. Our relationship has continued and grown over the years. I admired him as a strong, hard working and kind soul. Quietly I thought of him as my Dad, and I think he knew it. His wife and children unselfishly shared him with me, and for that I´m grateful.
There will be a void in my life that I can´t even begin to explain. Joe exemplified what humanity should look like and that kept me anchored when the world around me was not as kind.
I thank God for his family who mirrors his generosity, compassion, unconditional acceptance of others and integrity. I pray that God will comfort them and give them peace.
Joseph Dell will forever remain in my heart as a gift and reminder of God´s love for me.
Lovingly,
Your "other daughter"
Marie Collins
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Michael Martin
March 5, 2025
To Judy, Catherine, Andrew and Jennifer, I am so sorry to hear of Joe's passing. Please accept my deepest sympathy. I have such powerful and fond memories of working and living with the family during the summer of 1981. Joe was so patient teaching me the fine points of dairying and field work. I had no prior experience working on any type of farm and with Joe's guidance and instruction (with ample help from the whole family), I was able to establish a strong foundation my future career in agriculture. Growing up in the suburbs of DC, I was blown away with all the new and varied experiences I encountered every day working and living on the farm. From picking sweet corn at the crack of dawn, milking the cows, haying, participating in fairs when showing animals, the list of tasks that needed to get done was quite extensive, and always rewarding.
I miss you all and my heart goes out to all of you during this difficult time. Take Care.
Mike Martin
Jennifer Dell-Ernstrom
March 5, 2025
Thank you, Adam, for the kind words. My family is forever grateful to you when you took the initiative to hike down to a stalled tractor that you saw in a field just to check out the situation and then were able to rescue dad after he had fallen on the uneven ground and couldn't get up. Mom also says that she remembers you as a precious 12-year-old when they first got to know you.
Adam Coyle
March 5, 2025
My thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs Dell and the family. Mr Dell was a great person who I always thought the world of. I learned so much from him while working as a youngster on the farm. His attention to detail and work ethic helped make me a better person to this day.
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