Obituary of Joseph H. Muche

Fleetwood - Joseph Henry "Joe" Muche, 87, of Fleetwood, PA, passed away peacefully at home on February 3, 2024. Born on May 19, 1936, in Pottstown, PA, Joe was the son of the late Joseph Muche and Viola L. (nee Sweinhart) Muche. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 64 years, Joan M. (nee Beswick) Muche, his son, John M. Muche, his sister, Shirley M. Musselman-Spurio, and his sister, Dorothy R. Zander.

Joe was a very humble and kind man who ALWAYS put his family first to the very end. His greatest joy was his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a tinkerer and a Jack of all trades. In his grandchildren's eyes, "Pop" could fix everything. Joe's parents owned the Norristown Hobby Shop where he would make the models for the window displays. He was an avid car enthusiast in his younger years and an avid train enthusiast later in life. In recent years, he was enamored with the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad and followed the restoration of the steam engine 2102. He was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to see the 2102 up close and personal thanks to the kindness of the workers at the Port Clinton Rail Yard. He was a kid in a candy store when he was able to sit in the engineer's cab at the age of 86.

Joe is survived by his daughter, Judy A. Muche of Graterford. Grandson, Michael A. Muche of Gilbertsville. Daughter, Janet M. Pietsch of Fleetwood, and husband Timothy W. Pietsch. Grandson, Aubrey M. Pietsch of Limerick, wife Angela, and great-grandsons Brian A. Pittenger and Luca Joseph Pietsch. Granddaughter, Chandra M. Pietsch of Fleetwood. Granddaughter, Carissa M. McIlwain of Mont Clare, husband Sean, and great-grandson Timothy Henry McIlwain. One nephew, Charles Musselman of Lutz, FL.

Joe started working at Hale Pump in Conshohocken, PA, right out of high school and then held various jobs at gas stations and local dairies until he landed at Markle Corporation in Plymouth Meeting, PA, in October 1961. He held various positions from machine operator, shift foreman, and supervisory roles at Markle’s until his retirement in May 2001.

In his free time, he was always creatively working with his hands. Joe enjoyed building model rockets, trains, cars, and remote-controlled airplanes. In the 70’s, Joe and his wife Joan had a mini ceramic studio in their basement for family and friends. In his retirement years, he took up counted cross-stitch and actively worked on building an HO model railroad.

His Celebration of Life Service will be held graveside at Riverside Cemetery, Norristown, PA, on May 18, 2024, at 11 am. At Joe’s request the service was scheduled on a Saturday to accommodate his family's work schedules and to ensure they would not have to endure the cold weather.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his honor to The Colebrookdale Railroad https://www.colebrookdalerailroad.com

The Moore, Snear & Ruggiero Funeral Home in Trappe, PA, is assisting the family with the arrangements.