Joseph Moloznik Esq.

May 20, 1927 - January 8, 2021

Joseph S. Moloznik, Esq. passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on January 8, 2021, with his wife Betty at his side as she has been for over 67 years. Joe was born on May 20, 1927, the day Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic Ocean, the seventh of eight children of Stephan and Mary Brehun Moloznik, a coal miner and his hard-working wife. They lived in the Jamison Coal and Coke Company "patch" town of Whitney in Western Pennsylvania, with a privy in the backyard and a Company Store at the corner. He grew up in the 1930's, shaped by the Great Depression and the loss of his father to black lung disease when he was 12 years old. After graduating from Latrobe High School - where contemporaries were Arnie Palmer and Fred "Mr. Rogers" - he joined the Army Air Corps in 1945. World War II ended before his flight training was complete, and he was recruited by Army Intelligence. He was posted to the Military Attache office in the United States Embassy in Moscow from 1946 through 1948, where memories include standing guard under the tutelage of Mrs. Walter Cronkite. While in Moscow, he applied to the University of Pennsylvania by telegram. While on leave in 1949 he spotted a beautiful blonde in a red dress, at a church dance in Mammoth, PA and so began the courtship of Betty Kendi. Joe entered the Wharton School of Finance at Penn in 1949, and joined the Alpha Chi Rho fraternity and remained a supporter of his fraternity for decades to come. He enjoyed participating in the Mask and Wig Presentation and singing in the Penn Glee Club. When the Korean War interrupted his undergraduate studies, he was recalled to active duty in 1951 and posted to the Pentagon as an expert in strategic intelligence. During this posting he received a direct commission as a 2nd Lieutenant and made 1st Lieutenant before separating again in 1953. He returned to Penn, graduated in 1954 and married Betty Kendi, settling in the University City neighborhood of West Philadelphia. He entered law school that same year, graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1957. He eventually fulfilled his goal of having a large family, as he and his extraordinary wife raised six grateful children; Mark, David, Karen, Douglas, Beth and Bruce. He practiced as a Philadelphia attorney for over 50 years, initially with the law firm of Goff and Rubin and then with Fell & Spalding. He and Betty quickly became fixtures in the University City community. He was active in real estate (not least to housing his expanding family) and community preservation. He established the Spruce Hill Community Association and was one of the founding members of the University City Swim Club, probably the first private, integrated swim club in Philadelphia. He proudly represented the West Arts League and Clark Park's annual May Fair. All of those institutions remain vibrant parts of the West Philadelphia community five decades later. He was also active with St. James Parish Council, the West Philadelphia Corporation, Boy Scouts of America and Philadelphia Bar Association. He helped establish a 25 member sportsmen's club in Central Pennsylvania in 1962 in which his sons and grandchildren remain active today. In the late 1960's he purchased a family vacation home in Ocean City, NJ and arranged a partnership to acquire the Historic Henryville House Hotel resort in the Pocono Mountains. He lived long enough to instill his unique brand of love in his children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren as well as the many lives he touched. He inspired many, was loved by most and will never be forgotten by those who received his demanding attention. He is predeceased by his beloved eldest son Mark, and survived by his loving wife Betty, children, David, Karen, Douglas, Beth and Bruce and their spouses, as well as 13 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and a host of grateful people whose lives he meaningfully impacted. A private Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Church the Oratory, 2319 Green Street, Philadelphia, PA on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 11 a.m. A private family burial service will follow at the Woodland Presbyterian Cemetery in West Philadelphia. Arr: Dinan Funeral Home, Philadelphia, PA Condolences may also be sent to www.dinanfuneralhome.com