Obituary of Joseph J Klesh

Joseph Klesh, age 86, of North Bergen, NJ, passed away peacefully at his home on May 22, 2024. Joe will be greatly missed by his entire loving family. He is survived by his three brothers, George, Michael, and Andrew, Jr., son Kevin Klesh, daughter-in-law Amber Hunsinger, and grandson Ian Klesh. He is pre-deceased by his loving wife Mary. Joe was born in Hazleton, PA to Andrew Klesh, Sr. and Clara Klesh (Fedelish). The son of a coal miner and a clothing factory worker, Joe grew up in Hazleton with his three brothers in challenging conditions, including losing his mother at a young age. He overcame so much including his own physical limitations, graduated from Hazleton High School in 1955, and went on to be the first person in the family to attend college. After high school, Joe was an electrician and worked as a janitor to put himself through college at Pennsylvania State University. He graduated with an Associate and then a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering. Later, he would go on to earn three Master’s Degrees in Telecommunications, Computer Science, and Mathematics from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ. Joe would often tell the story about how his life changed forever when he went out for a walk one day in Hazleton, heard music coming from a dance at the YWCA and decided to go inside. After he sat down, he looked around and saw a beautiful woman alone at a table across the room. He went over to join her. Her name was Mary, and the world would never be the same. They married in 1964 at St. Mary’s Church in Hazleton. Afterward, they moved to Pennsauken, NJ and later North Bergen, NJ. Early on, they both worked for the Western Union Telegraph Company in Philadelphia and New York City. Joe had a very long and amazing career as an Electronics Engineer. Over the years, Joe was an engineer at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Bendix/Allied Signal, and Lucent Technologies, working on everything from top secret military communications systems and guidance for missiles that kept our country safe during the Cold War to cordless telephones, digital dental x-ray machines and satellite navigation systems that formed the basis of the GPS everyone uses today. He was also an inventor with two patents to his name. Joe didn’t retire until he was 75 and continued afterward enjoying engineering and mathematics books, deeply exploring all the nuances using advanced mathematics and software to dissect the texts. He loved what he did and never stopped thinking about and sharing with others his deep appreciation for math and science. Joe most importantly was an incredibly kind person and devoted husband and father. He loved his family dearly, cared for animals, and dedicated his life to always being there ready to help family and friends, whether providing a listening ear, sage advice, or free electrical work at someone’s house. Those who met him never forgot him or his quirky sense of humor and always walked away with a smile and a nugget of new science or math knowledge. Viewing and visitation will be on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, 8:45–10:45 a.m. at Konopka Funeral Home, 9046 Palisade Avenue, North Bergen, NJ. Funeral Mass will be held immediately afterward at Sacred Heart Church, 9034 Barr Place, North Bergen, NJ. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the North Shore Animal League at North Shore Animal League America | World's Largest Animal Rescue Org