Joseph T. Cheetham

Joseph T. Cheetham, 23, beloved son of Thomas and Eleanor Cheetham, died Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004. He followed his girlfriend, Alana Berenson of Queens, N.Y., as she exited her stalled car in waist-high water during a severe thunderstorm, unaware of the fallen wire behind the car. Both were electrocuted. Joe had completed his B.S. in marine transporation at SUNY Maritime College this month and was returning from taking his third mate federal licensing exam at the time of the accident. Known for his composure in the face of crisis, we trust that he acted with assurance and died in God's peace. Joe will be remembered for his compassion and generosity and particularly the attentiveness with which he cared for his chronically ill sister during his visits home. He loved to travel and wrote home this summer that making his third trip to Copenhagen, he knew the city well enough to show Alana and his friends around. His deep sense of humor delighted family and friends, and his frank, friendly disposition endeared him to the people he met. A Pittsburgh native and a graduate of Winchester Thurston School, Joe will be deeply missed. Also surviving are sisters Ann and Martha Cheetham, D.V.M.; aunts and uncles the Rev. William, Mabel and Joanne Cheetham, Margaret Braun, Charlotte and Robert Davis and Paul and Shari McGill, and numerous cousins. Friends received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the LAWRENCE T. MILLER FUNERAL HOME INC., 460 Lincoln Ave., Bellevue, a Pursuit of Excellence Award Firm. Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. Wednesday in St. Athanasius Church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Athanasius School, 7 Chalfonte, Pittsburgh, PA 15229.