Joseph Marshall Tirrell

1938 - 2026

Joseph Marshall Tirrell, age 87, of Pittsfield, MA passed away peacefully on February 23, 2026.

Born in Bethlehem, PA on May 26, 1938, he was the son of the late Donald J. Tirrell and Kathryn A. (Rooney) Tirrell. He was the oldest brother of Michael and Donald Tirrell and graduated from Saints Philip & James Parochial High School in Phillipsburg, NJ class of 1956. Joe was instrumental in starting the school orchestra, playing the alto saxophone and clarinet. As a Junior, he was chosen to attend N.J. Boys State. He joined the cast of the high school play and soon realized he was not a singer or a dancer.

Joe's work career started in retail stores at the age of 16 to help pay for the first of many cars he owned. After graduation, he joined the United States Air Force. Trained as a cryptographer, he served in F.E. Warren AFB, WY, Scott AFB, IL, Thule AFB, Greenland and Westover AFBChicopee, MA with the Eighth Air Force. Joe was honorably discharged as an Airman First Class in September of 1960.

He joined Friendly Ice Cream Corp. as a manager trainee in Springfield, MA. After a couple of years with them, he accepted an offer from the Howard Johnson Restaurant Company. He was promoted to Manager of the Howard Johnson Restaurant in Pittsfield. Joe finished his restaurant career after 14 years as an area manager, responsible for 7 restaurants in Massachusetts and Vermont.

In 1974, Joe joined United Parcel Service as a delivery driver. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 404. While delivering his route, he met the love of his life and future wife at her place of employment, the former Nancy Diehl . The two were married on May 30, 1987, at St. Helena's Church in Lenox, MA. They would have celebrated 39 years of marriage this May.

Retiring from UPS after 26 years, he became a volunteer for Elder Services of Berkshire County and was awarded Volunteer of the Year in 1998. He also served on the board of Directors for several years. Joe was a regular blood donor for the American Red Cross and Berkshire Health Systems. He donated over 25 gallons of blood in his lifetime, and for several years Joe organized the Teamsters Blood Drive. He also volunteered as an usher at Tanglewood for many years.

While waiting for Nancy to join him in retirement, Joe took a part-time job as a driver for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. He enjoyed meeting new people every day and driving all the different cars in the fleet. Driving the next 14 years, he drove countless miles throughout the Berkshires.

In addition to his beloved wife, Joe leaves his large and loving family. His children; Rosemarie Tirrell of Lee, MA, Stephen Tirrell of Quincy, MA, Maria Walden (Matthew) of North Topsail Beach, NC, Christopher Tirrell (Karina) of Montreal, Canada, Kelly Fulcher (Mark) of Sneads Ferry, NC, and CAPT Glen Diehl, USN(Ret) (Michelle) of Bethesda, MD, and his five grandchildren, Olivia, Connor, Cameron, Emilie and Serena, his former daughter-in-law with whom Joe and Nancy had a very close bond, Debbie Diehl, and his brothers Michael Tirrell (Cathie) of Martins Creek, PA and Donald Tirrell (Leslie) of Easton, PA. Joe is also survived by Nancy's siblings, William Flynn of O'Fallon, IL, Virginia Collins of Basking Ridge, NJ, Brian Flynn (Elizabeth) of Huntsville, AL, Kathleen Ferrell of Neptune City, NJ, and Maureen Flethcher of Bend, OR.

In addition to his parents, Joe was predeceased by his mother and father-in-law, June and William Flynn, his brother-in-law Greg Fletcher and his sister-in-law Kathleen Flynn.

SERVICES: Friends are invited to join with Joe's family at the Dery Funeral Home for visitation on Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM, with a funeral home service beginning at 1PM. Burial will take place in the springtime at Mountain View Cemetery in Lanesborough, MA.

Memorial donations in Joe's memory may be made payable to Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc. online or mailed to the funeral home at 54 Bradford St. Pittsfield, MA 01201.