Joseph R. Petcavage, beloved husband, brother, uncle, grandfather and family man, died Monday, August 22, 2022, of a heart attack at the age of 82.

Known to his friends and family as Joe, he was born June 12, 1940, to the late Joseph Petcavage Sr. and Frances Ruchus Petcavage. Joe grew up in Tripps Park, Scranton, where he went to Scranton Prep High School, graduating in 1958.

After high school, Joe went to work for Bell Telephone Labs in Whippany, New Jersey, where he served as a drafter. The company was looking for bachelors willing to go on an overseas adventure. Joe took advantage of the opportunity and spent two years on the island of Kwajalein, part of the Marshall Islands, about 2,400 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. Joe made the most of his time in the South Pacific. When he wasn’t working, he spent his time snorkeling, deep-sea fishing, playing handball and running all around the beautiful island, a tropical paradise that is 2.5 miles long and about only 800 yards wide and surrounds one of the largest lagoons in the world.

He returned to the U.S. and continued his studies in Texas, first receiving a degree in business administration from the University of Texas at El Paso, then completing his master’s in business administration at University of Texas at Austin. He served in the U.S. Army at Fort Reilly, Kansas, during the Vietnam War, then came back to Scranton to be close to his family.

Back in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Joe began a successful career at InterMetro Industries, having ever increasing responsibilities as customer project manager, quality manager and finally as a project manager. He spent nearly 30 years working with the company.

Joe has been married to Mary Ellen Petcavage since 1994. The couple has lived in Bear Creek, where they were members of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Church. They would have celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary on September 10th of this year.

Joe and Mary Ellen loved spending time together at their scenic home and property in the woods, often hosting friends and family. They travelled extensively and recently spent some winters together is Southwest Florida, enjoying the climate and culture. Joe and Mary Ellen also shared a love of Scrabble. Most evenings involved a game between the two. Joe won more often than he lost.

Joe loved Labrador retrievers and owned many of them throughout his life. He will be missed greatly by the couple’s current lab, Brady, whom Joe and Mary Ellen doted on lovingly. In his spare time, Joe loved reading mystery novels and keeping up with his favorite baseball team, the New York Yankees. He had a wide circle of friends and was a kind, thoughtful, dependable person with an unbreakable positive attitude.

A true outdoorsman, Joe was an avid hunter and fisherman and lover of animals. One of his great joys was working in the garden. He took great pleasure in sharing outdoor experiences with his nephews and grandchildren and teaching them to appreciate nature. He also owned a farm in Laceyville, Pennsylvania, and enjoyed tending to the land and monitoring the wildlife on the property.

In addition to Mary Ellen and Brady, Joe is survived by his sister, Joan Heckman, Moosic; his stepchildren, Kelly (Samuel); Jill (Ted); and Rich (Daphne); as well as his grandchildren, Cassie, Bethany, Luke, Lainey, Axel, Dash, Sofia and Max. He will also be missed by many cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, and great, great nephews.

In addition to his parents, Joseph Sr. and Frances, Joe was preceded in death by his sister, Eleanor Vitcavage, and brother-in-law, Joe.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Joe’s viewing which will be held on Sunday, August 28, 2022, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM at the Wroblewski Funeral Home, Inc., 1442 Wyoming Avenue, Forty Fort.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, August 29, 2022, at 11:00 AM in Saint Elizabeth of Hungary Church, 5700 Bear Creek Boulevard, Bear Creek, with the Reverend Paul A. McDonnell, O.S.J., officiating. Family and friends are kindly asked to proceed directly to the church on Monday morning.

Interment will be privately held in Saint Joseph’s Roman Catholic Cemetery, Throop.

To offer Joe’s family an online message of condolence, you may visit the funeral home’s website, www.wroblewskifuneralhome.com, or Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Joe’s memory to the Osterhout Free Library, 71 South Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701 (www.osterhout.info), or to World Central Kitchen, Attn: Donor Services, 200 Mass Avenue NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20001 (www.wck.org).

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