Joseph W. Lubich

With great sadness, the family of Joseph “Joe” W. Lubich announce his death on Tuesday, February 25, 2025 after a long illness. He was 88. Joe’s full and vibrant life was marked by the knowledge he imparted, the joy he brought to others, and the love he shared. 

Joe lived and died in the Cherry City house where he was born on September 10, 1936 to Frank and Emilia (Vouk) Lubich. 

A math whiz and top student at Shaler High School, he attended the University of Pittsburgh as a Westinghouse Scholar and earned undergraduate and advanced degrees in electrical engineering. He was a Professional Engineer.

He served in the U.S. Army & Reserves before joining Westinghouse Air Brake Company. While there, Joe helped to design some incredibly challenging, high-profile projects including the nation’s first fully automatic train control system for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) as well as the Seattle Monorail for the 1962 Century 21 World’s Fair. He held multiple patents, including three patents on switching systems still in use on subways and railways all over the world. 

His teaching positions included stints at the University of Pittsburgh, White Sands Missile Base, New Mexico and the US Air Force Academy in Colorado. Joe’s career in research and development was varied, ranging from character recognition for early computers to gyroscope test simulators for NASA (Huntsville, AL). In the 1970s, he was a co-owner of an engineering company, a designer of precision equipment in gyro test tables. The firm also designed an early machine to assemble child-proof safety caps for pill bottles. 

Joe embodied the ideal Renaissance man. Beyond his academic and professional accomplishments, he was a man of many passions. He found joy in his family, books, music, and the satisfaction of a full day’s labor tending to his vineyards, fruit trees, and garden. 

He married Sharon Ujcich on November 9, 1991. The pair shared a devotion to their Slovenian heritage and produced the American Slovene Radio Hour, broadcast on WPIT 96.5 FM 730 AM. Joe served as treasurer of the Association of Slovene Americans and SNPJ Lodge 665. For many years, he showcased his musical talents singing second tenor with the Pittsburgh Slovene Octet. 

Joe always had a book in hand. An avid reader and frequent public library patron, he never met a book he didn’t like and a subject he couldn’t master whether in a medical journal or a how-to on sewing. An excellent chef and baker, he had a good hand at baking bread and potica, a type of nut roll popular in Slovenia. He was also known for employing his innovative engineering skills on the home front, crafting parts for his prized, vintage Bolen tractor. 

With Sharon and family members, he enjoyed traveling and shared many adventures visiting relatives abroad. 

Joe leaves a life of cherished memories with his surviving family. In addition to his loving wife, he is fondly remembered by sisters Angeline Bicek (late David) and Nancy Lavrich (Joe), and many godchildren, nieces and nephews who adored him. His memory will live in the hearts of cousins in Slovenia, Australia, Germany, France, and Canada. 

Joe was preceded in death by sister Emilia Blanchfield (late George), brothers Frank and William, and sister-in-law Janet Ujcich Rosenberger (Ron).

While Joe’s physical presence will no longer grace our lives, his vigorous spirit will continue to inspire and uplift us. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at on Saturday at 11 am at St. Paul Cathedral, Oakland. Interment will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Sharpsburg. Visitation is private. Arrangements made by Perman Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc. 

The family respectfully suggests tributes to the Slovene Radio Hour, 381 F Street, Pittsburgh PA 15209 or Shaler North Hills Library, 1822 Mt. Royal Blvd., Glenshaw PA 15116