Joseph Sohara

Joseph Andrew (Joe) Sohara of Northampton, PA passed from this world on March 16, 2025. He is survived by his loving daughter and son, Heather L. Sohara (Daniel Kirksey) of Richardson, TX and Joseph K. Sohara of Bethlehem, PA, and by his partner, fellow high school classmate and best friend for 15 years, Cheryl Lloyd Barbetti of Moscow, PA.

Joe was born in 1955 in Old Forge, PA to the late Joseph T. Sohara and Mary (Zimak) Sohara and was educated in the Old Forge school system. He received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Scranton in 1977, then went on to Lehigh University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry. His work at Lehigh in stabilizing water-based emulsions for use in explosives was partly funded by the former Atlas Powder Co. in Tamaqua, PA, and Joe began work in the Atlas company laboratories in Tamaqua in 1983. While there he was granted seven patents in energetic materials before leaving in 1990 to begin work as a Research Scientist in the laboratories of the Specialty Minerals Division of the pharma giant Pfizer, Inc. in Bethlehem PA. In 1992, Pfizer spun off its Minerals business into a new independent company, Minerals Technologies Inc. (MTI), and Joe worked there until retiring as Senior Technical Advisor in 2020. He continued to consult for MTI until his passing. While at MTI, Joe rose through multiple technical management positions to become one of the corporation's senior technologists.

A business consultant once explained, there are two types of creativity: inventing new things and making existing things work better. Joe's work for 30 years was primarily focused on developing new and different products and processes, and he filed an additional nine patent applications in his time with MTI, most of which were granted by the US Patent & Trademark Office. Joe's work in the recycling of minerals used in paper broke new ground at the time and allowed him to travel extensively across the United States, Europe and Asia. On those trips, Joe engaged with the technologists and executives of clients or potential clients of MTI to enter into joint business development of Joe's inventions. Those travels presented Joe with an opportunity to see many world capitals and famous places and interact personally with many different cultures. For four decades he enjoyed travel, and, with Cheryl, privately visited cities throughout Europe and in and near the U.S. What Joe and Cheryl enjoyed most on typical weekends was dining at good restaurants and sipping good wine, mostly just the two of them, but often with good friends.

Joe was a casual sports fan until he developed an avid interest in the Philadelphia Eagles later in life. Joe and his son attended many Eagles games both home and away and were in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis when the Eagles won their first Super Bowl. Besides the Eagles, Joe and young Joe also took in many other Philly sporting events including Phillies, Sixers and Flyers games. They were in Citizens Bank Park for Game 3 of the 2022 World Series against the Padres. Joe was also a casual (and very bad) golfer who often participated in local golf tournaments for charity.

Besides his children and Cheryl, Joe also leaves behind his mother; brother David A. Sohara (Lisa) of Old Forge; sister Maryann Colbert (Ron) of Old Forge; his ex-wife, friend, and mother of his children, Marcella Bitler Sohara of Bethlehem; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Joe was predeceased by his paternal grandparents, Andrew and Helen Grabowski Sohara, maternal grandparents, Anthony and Anna Przywara Zimak and an infant older brother, Marion Sohara.

Celebration of Life will be Saturday April 5, 2025, from 2:00-4:00PM at the Se-Wy-Co Banquet Hall. 1 Kenny Headman Lane, Bethlehem, PA 18015