Joseph Edward Rich, 78, of Wilmington, Delaware, passed away on November 29, 2025, in Memphis, Tennessee, while visiting family for Thanksgiving.
Born in Wasserburg am Inn, Germany, Joseph was the son of Hungarian Holocaust survivors. His father, a member of the Hungarian resistance who survived a work camp, and his mother, who survived by hiding in Budapest with Catholic papers, immigrated to the United States when Joseph was young, settling in Rockland County, New York.
Joseph graduated from Muhlenberg College on June 2, 1968, and went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Saarland in Germany on May 31, 1976. He completed his OBGYN training at Stanford university and launched a distinguished career in obstetrics and gynecology that spanned several decades. Throughout his career, Dr. Rich assisted in the delivery of approximately 3,900 babies, touching countless families with his care and dedication.
His medical career took him across the country, including service as an OB-GYN on an Air Force base in Oklahoma City, where he was a first responder physician during the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, performing triage in the field. Years later, he answered the call again during Hurricane Katrina, traveling to the Gulf Coast to provide medical assistance to those in need. In later years, he explored alternative and holistic medicine, always seeking new ways to help others.
Beyond medicine, Joseph was a man of boundless curiosity and an insatiable appetite for life. An accomplished photographer who won awards for his work as a student, he had a gift for capturing the world around him. He was a visionary in design and architecture, having built an innovative medical office that was decades ahead of its time, complete with a two-story playhouse in the waiting room—long before such amenities became common.
Joseph's greatest passion in his later years was travel. Over the course of a decade, he visited more than 270 countries and provinces, often traveling solo and always adventurously—staying in hostels, riding cargo ships, taking rickshaws, and sleeping on buses. He documented each journey meticulously in daily travel logs, collecting magnets from every destination that eventually covered every metal surface in his home. His work was shared far and wide, including National Geographic magazine. His fearless spirit and determination to experience everything the world had to offer inspired all who knew him.
Above all, Joseph brought joy to others. Whether orchestrating elaborate adventures for his children, pretending to be a food critic to get behind-the-scenes restaurant tours, or arranging for his wife to meet Tennessee Williams aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2, Joseph's greatest happiness came from creating magical experiences for the people he loved. His generosity of spirit, infectious enthusiasm, and ability to make others feel special touched everyone he encountered.
In his final years in Delaware, Joseph found peace and community. He was an active member of his local synagogue and participated enthusiastically in the senior program at the Jewish Community Center, attending Broadway shows, trips to museums, and other outings. He treasured his weekly Sunday dinners and coffee meetings with family, and worked earnestly to strengthen his relationships with his children and grandchildren.
Joseph is survived by his children Elizabeth Rich and her husband Kristian, Julia Solórzano and her husband Henry, and Alexander Rich and his wife Svetlana; his eight beloved grandchildren: Micah, Toby, Eliana, Hannah, Selia, Vivienne, Yaniv, and Gabriel; his brother David Rich and his wife Bey; and his niece. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A private memorial service will be held for family and close friends in Delaware.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Jane Goodall Institute at janegoodall.org.
Born in Wasserburg am Inn, Germany, Joseph was the son of Hungarian Holocaust survivors. His father, a member of the Hungarian resistance who survived a work camp, and his mother, who survived by hiding in Budapest with Catholic papers, immigrated to the United States when Joseph was young, settling in Rockland County, New York.
Joseph graduated from Muhlenberg College on June 2, 1968, and went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Saarland in Germany on May 31, 1976. He completed his OBGYN training at Stanford university and launched a distinguished career in obstetrics and gynecology that spanned several decades. Throughout his career, Dr. Rich assisted in the delivery of approximately 3,900 babies, touching countless families with his care and dedication.
His medical career took him across the country, including service as an OB-GYN on an Air Force base in Oklahoma City, where he was a first responder physician during the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, performing triage in the field. Years later, he answered the call again during Hurricane Katrina, traveling to the Gulf Coast to provide medical assistance to those in need. In later years, he explored alternative and holistic medicine, always seeking new ways to help others.
Beyond medicine, Joseph was a man of boundless curiosity and an insatiable appetite for life. An accomplished photographer who won awards for his work as a student, he had a gift for capturing the world around him. He was a visionary in design and architecture, having built an innovative medical office that was decades ahead of its time, complete with a two-story playhouse in the waiting room—long before such amenities became common.
Joseph's greatest passion in his later years was travel. Over the course of a decade, he visited more than 270 countries and provinces, often traveling solo and always adventurously—staying in hostels, riding cargo ships, taking rickshaws, and sleeping on buses. He documented each journey meticulously in daily travel logs, collecting magnets from every destination that eventually covered every metal surface in his home. His work was shared far and wide, including National Geographic magazine. His fearless spirit and determination to experience everything the world had to offer inspired all who knew him.
Above all, Joseph brought joy to others. Whether orchestrating elaborate adventures for his children, pretending to be a food critic to get behind-the-scenes restaurant tours, or arranging for his wife to meet Tennessee Williams aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2, Joseph's greatest happiness came from creating magical experiences for the people he loved. His generosity of spirit, infectious enthusiasm, and ability to make others feel special touched everyone he encountered.
In his final years in Delaware, Joseph found peace and community. He was an active member of his local synagogue and participated enthusiastically in the senior program at the Jewish Community Center, attending Broadway shows, trips to museums, and other outings. He treasured his weekly Sunday dinners and coffee meetings with family, and worked earnestly to strengthen his relationships with his children and grandchildren.
Joseph is survived by his children Elizabeth Rich and her husband Kristian, Julia Solórzano and her husband Henry, and Alexander Rich and his wife Svetlana; his eight beloved grandchildren: Micah, Toby, Eliana, Hannah, Selia, Vivienne, Yaniv, and Gabriel; his brother David Rich and his wife Bey; and his niece. He was preceded in death by his parents.
A private memorial service will be held for family and close friends in Delaware.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Jane Goodall Institute at janegoodall.org.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Joseph Edward Rich, please visit our flower store.
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