Joseph Hackenbracht, Sr.

Joseph Allen Hackenbracht, age 91, of Audubon, Pennsylvania died peacefully on Wednesday, August 10, in hospice at Bryn Mawr Hospital. He was the husband of Lorraine (nee Kelly). His first wife, Dorothy Jane (nee Crouso), predeceased him in 2001.



Born on February 26, 1925 in West Lafayette, Ohio, he was the fourth child of Ralph Simeon Hackenbracht and Olive Irene Stemple. His older brother and two sisters have passed away before him.



He is survived by the only child of his first marriage, Joseph Allen Hackenbracht, Jr. and his wife Carol (nee Gearhart) Hackenbracht of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania and two grandchildren, William Joseph and Julie Elizabeth. He is also survived by four step-children, Kevin Kelly and his wife Maureen, Leslie Boyko (Kelly), Karen Kelly and her partner Tammy, and Christopher Kelly. Joe is also survived by eight step-grandchildren and one step-great-grandchild.



Joe was born into a railroad family; his father, mother and sister were railway telegraph operators and his brother was a life-long manager in the railway signals division. After graduating from high school, he was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a block operator. During World War Il, Joe enlisted in the Army as a pilot candidate. When the Army decided it had enough pilots, he was trained as a B-17 belly gunner. Joe finished his war service as a Tech Sergeant in the 982nd Air Engineering Squadron preparing for the invasion of the Japanese home islands.



Upon returning to West Lafayette after the war, he returned to the Pennsy as a block operator in the Buckeye Division and then as a dispatcher and Supervisor in the Pittsburgh and Buffalo Divisions. During his many years of service with the Pennsy, he rose to become the Regional Engineer for the New York Region. During the merger of the Pennsy and New York Central Railroads and the subsequent bankruptcy of the Penn Central, he transferred to the Philadelphia Region. Joe ended his career with AmTrak as Safety Officer for the NorthEast Corridor.



During his retirement years, Joe was active in his church, Valley Forge Methodist Church, where he most notably acted as the Owner's Representative on the construction of the educational wing and the renovation of the church sanctuary. A resident of Glenhardie Condominiums for many years, he served on the Board of Directors for the Condominium Association and the Country Club. Joe was also President of both organizations for a time. In failing health, Joe and his loving wife, Lorraine, recently relocated to Shannondell, a continuing care community in Audubon, Pennsylvania.



An avid golfer and bowler, when not on the golf course at the Glenhardie Country Club, Joe could be found bowling at the Devon Lanes. Over the years he served as a volunteer official at PGA tournaments held in the local area. Joe was a 32nd degree Mason and was active in the LuLu Shriners for many years.



A Memorial Service will be held at the Paoli Presbyterian Church at 225 South Valley Road in Paoli, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at 11:00 AM. Interment of the urn will be in Fairfield Cemetery in West Lafayette, Ohio at a later date.



In lieu of flowers, donations in his name to Shriner's Hospital for Children, 3551 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19140 would be appreciated.