Joseph Edward Dunn, Jr.

Joseph “Joe” Edward Dunn, Jr., beloved father, grandfather, brother-in-law, and uncle, passed away surrounded by his family in Pennsylvania on Friday, March 25, 2022.  He was 86 years old.

Joe was born in November, 1935 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, the only son of Joseph Edward and Ethel Magdalen (née Stoyack) Dunn.  He was the older brother to two sisters, Ann Marie Bunn and Georgina Dunn.  As a child, he liked to get lost in his books and explore the world through his camera.

In 1957, he graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Electrical Engineering and started a career with Bendix Radio.  He worked there for five months before joining the Army and subsequently the Army Reserves.  While in the Reserves, he reentered the workforce and dedicated the majority of his career with Computer Science Corporation in support of NASA and the Goddard Space Flight Center in the orbit determination area.  There, he provided over 30 years of service and received several awards in recognition of his contributions, including the Silver Snoopy Award for “dedication and outstanding support that greatly enhanced space flight safety and mission success.”  He also completed two master’s degrees from George Washington University and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

During his career, he met the love of his life, Mary Laura Redmiles, and they got married in June 1964 at Saint Lawrence Church in Baltimore, Maryland.  Together, they built a beautiful life and family in West Laurel, Maryland.  Their love continues through their five daughters: Laura, Julie, Susan, Karen and Patricia, and seven grandchildren: Meghan, Steven, Sydney, Owen, Keira, Neve, and Gemma, all of whom referred to him fondly as “Poppy.” Joe and Mary were married over 50 years until Mary’s passing in 2016.  A year after her passing, he moved to Maris Grove retirement community in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. 

Joe was always devoted to his family and in his later years looked forward to the many visits from his daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.  He was a quiet soul with a lot of love to give. He will forever be our Poppy and he will be terribly missed.

Joe is survived by his children, grandchildren, niece, Julie Bunn and goddaughter, Tamara Briggs.  Joe was predeceased by his wife, parents, sisters, sister-in-law, Nancy Self, and brothers-in-law, James Krotz and Bill Self.

Joe’s memorial will be an intimate, immediate-family-only gathering.  A larger memorial will be scheduled at a later date.  The family will contact friends and family with further details. 

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in Joe’s name to the following funds:

MarisGroveResidentCareFund, https://secure2.convio.net/elm/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20121a?df_id=1645&mfc_pref=T&1645.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=722563EC0D39FF35BC585D47D904E53D 

Maris Grove has a "home for life" policy, so even if a resident falls on hard financial times they never have to leave their home at Maris Grove. This fund helps families with expenses if needed.

MarisGroveScholarsFund, https://secure2.convio.net/elm/site/Donation2?df_id=1646&mfc_pref=T&1646.donation=form1
Maris Grove hires high school students for the restaurants at Maris Grove in order to provide intergenerational connections. This fund provides each student with a small scholarship to help with college or technical school expenses.  

Or, gift checks can be mailed to: Maris Grove Office of Philanthropy, 200 Maris Grove Way, Glen Mills, PA  19342.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joseph Edward Dunn, Jr., please visit our floral store.