Joseph John Dabulas

1930 - 2021

Joseph John Dabulas, 90, passed away on Feb. 19, 2021, in Susquehanna, Pa., the town he called home for over 25 years. Papa Joe, as he was known to everyone for nearly 70 years, was born to Genevieve and Andrew Dabulas in Scranton, Pa., on June 6, 1930. It is with joy that we remember this indelible man whose smile is now ours.

Joe was predeceased by his wife of many years, Marion Culkin Dabulas. His brother, Edward Dabulas, was killed in battle in WWII. His sisters, Lillian Ryan, Genevieve Lynch, Aldona Golden, and brother, Edward Berdulis, also predeceased Joseph. He leaves behind a sister, Joan Scarantino; seven children, Bridget Seguine (Jimmy), Mike Hill (Toni), Edward Hill (Jill), Katherine Owens (Daniel), Mary Lou Dabulas, Winifred Dabulas (Gary) and Joseph Dabulas (Diane). Papa Joe has 13 grandchildren and four great-granddaughters. He is also survived by his faithful cat, Jojo.

Joe was a proud Lithuanian and a member of the Tauras Club in Scranton. He was a veteran serving in the United States Navy aboard the USS Curtis and USS Pine Island. Joe was also a member of the Pa. National Guard and a life member of the Knights of Columbus. He was a retired tool and die maker and worked on the X15 project for the U.S. government.

Joe served as an usher for Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Whitehouse Station, N.J., for many years. Always the devout Catholic, Joe spent his recent years as a communicant of St. John's Church in Susquehanna where a memorial Mass will be held for him at a later date.

Always the prankster, with an impish sense of humor, Papa Joe educated his grandchildren in the art of conspicuously cheating in games and how to feign injury.

He loved gardening, playing golf and especially going for walks across many fields and paths usually with a few four-legged friends following along. He read everything he could and enjoyed The New York Times and the Newark Star Ledger endlessly. In later years he spent many hours rereading and reorganizing all of the many requests for donations from so many needy organizations, feeding the hungry and saving the animals. Joe was a football fan and especially loved watching and yelling at his favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His active lifestyle kept him outside most days often carrying a four-year-old Gatorade bottle filled with water, a cigar to keep the bugs away and a hanky sticking out of the back pocket of a pair of old work jeans. It was probably this active lifestyle that lead to his pioneering use of duct tape as a wrist support and everlasting patch on those blue jeans, much to the chagrin of his wife Marion, the professional seamstress.

Dad, Papa Joe, Rough Joe, Joseph you are already missed more than we can bear.