Joseph J Kuhar, Jr.

Joseph J. Kuhar, Jr., age 87, of Erie, PA passed on Thursday May 22, 2025. He was born in Erie, on April 2, 1938, a son of the late Joseph and Mary Fantaskey Kuhar.

Joseph attended Holy Family Elementary School and Cathedral Preparatory High School and earned a bachelor’s degree and MSW from Gannon College. He began his long military career in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at RAF Sculthorpe in England. Through four years of active duty and three years of active reserve duty, he obtained the rank of Staff Sergeant. He then served 27 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he obtained the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4 and functioned as a special agent under the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command. Most of Joseph’s time was spent with the 430th MP detachment, stationed in Erie.

In civilian life, he developed sales proposals for the power plant industry for Copes Vulcan, Inc. in Lake City, Pennsylvania for 11 years. After earning his MSW, he became employed as a counselor for Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation in Erie for 24 years, helping Pennsylvania residents overcome their disabilities, develop career skills, and find meaningful employment opportunities. While working for the Bureau, he began a private vocational counseling practice, including providing expert testimony for court proceedings, as well as serving as a vocational expert for administrative law judges for the adjudication and review of the Social Security Administration. He retired from employment at the age of 72.

Joseph was a member of Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church, where he spent many years as a lector and was involved in numerous parish activities. He was a founding member of the Military Officers’ Association of America, Oliver Hazard Perry Branch, where he served as Board Secretary.

Joseph enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren, fishing, and trying to hit the white ball in the hole. Joseph also enjoyed camping, especially at Kettle Creek State Park near Renovo, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Joyce, took many trips to North Carolina, often with his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Alice and Joe Lynch. He especially liked touring the Blue Ridge Parkway. Joseph enjoyed the company of his Shetland sheepdog, Shadow and Basenji, Sounder.

In addition to his parents, Joseph is preceded in death by his brother, Edward H. Kuhar.

He is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Joyce Pfeufer Kuhar, whom he married on May 15, 1965, and their four children, Michelle (Kuhar) Shopene and her husband, Robert; Mark Kuhar and his wife, Pamela; Tricia (Kuhar) McCormick and her husband, James; and Matthew Kuhar and his husband, Justin Lehmiller. He is survived by nine loving grandchildren, Rachel Mauro and her husband Michael, Emily Shopene, David, Jennifer, Elizabeth, and Katie Kuhar, and Moira and her fiance' Franz, Clara, and Mick McCormick, each of whom he was always very proud. He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Mary Kuhar-Rinke.

He will be missed dearly by his family for whom he provided so well and whom he supported and inspired in countless ways.

Friends may call at Burton Quinn-Scott Cremation & Funeral Services, Inc., West Ridge, 3801 West 26th St. on Tuesday May 27th from 4pm to 7pm and are invited to attend a funeral mass at Our Lady of Peace, 2401 West 38th St. on Wednesday May 28th at 10am. The burial will follow at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Erie Humane Society, 2407 Zimmerly Rd., Erie, PA 16506 or Cathedral Preparatory School, 250 West 10th St., Erie, PA 16501.

Send condolences at www.BurtonQuinnScott.com.