Joseph Van Fleet

March 6, 2010

Joseph "Joby" O. Van Fleet, 71, of Meshoppen, passed away on Saturday, March 6, 2010, surrounded by his loving wife and children at Mercy Hospital in Scranton. He is survived by his wife, Kimberly Barna. He and his wife celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on May 22, 2009. Born Feb. 7, 1939, in Newton, N.J., he was a son of the late Frank and Marion (Smith) Van Fleet. He attended Netcong High School before entering the U.S. Marine Corps and proudly serving from 1957 to 1960. After being honorably discharged, he held several different jobs including working on the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, serving as a police officer for Byram Township, N.J., owning a junkyard and operating his own excavating business before relocating to Pennsylvania and working as a truck driver for Nicholas Trucking, Courtdale, until his retirement in 2005. He was a proud member of many different organizations, including the Musconetcong Lodge No. 151, Sons of the American Legion; AMVETS Post 0059; Marine Corps League (Towanda); and was a lifetime member of the NRA. Joe was a loving and devoted husband to his wife and best friend, Kim. Joe had a charismatic personality and a great sense of humor. He could make you smile under any circumstance and he always had a great story to tell. Joe was a huge history buff and would read or watch anything military related. He was an avid collector of many different things including military memorabilia, model cars, model trains, books and record albums. He was a fan of Penn State football. He enjoyed going to local fairs and flea markets and liked being outdoors, but his greatest pleasure was spending time with his beloved cocker spaniels, Bailey, Shelby, Mandy, Cody, Jake and Bo, all of whom are going to greatly miss their "Daddy." Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, F. James Van Fleet, in 1983, and his four-legged children, Casey, PJ, Bandit, Jessie, Gunner, Big Bud, Bud-Bud and Cuddles. Surviving, besides his wife, are his children, Cindy Abrams and her husband, Steve, of Flanders, N.J.; Christine Rikkola and her husband, Dave, of Mendam, N.J.; Joseph of Byram, N.J.; Jackie Woodward and her husband, Scott, of Byram, N.J.; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Also surviving are his first wife and mother of his children, Joyce Van Fleet, of Byram, N.J., and many close friends whom he considered family. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday from the Sheldon-Kukuchka Funeral Home Inc., 73 W. Tioga St., Tunkhannock. Interment will be in the Jersey Hill Cemetery. Friends and family may call from 5 to 8 p.m. today at the funeral home. For online condolences visit www.sheldonkukuchkafuneral.com .