Captain Joseph Francis Phelan's Obituary
Captain Joseph Francis Phelan, USN, Retired, age 70, passed away peacefully on December 21, 2014 in St. Augustine, Florida, surrounded by his family, after a valiant fight with cancer.
Joe will be remembered for his deep faith in God, his generous smile, his kindness, his calm and confidence-inspiring leadership, his deep love of family and friends, his pursuit of two successful careers, and his lifelong devotion to the United States Navy.
Joe was born on February 24, 1944 to Dr. and Mrs. William Phelan in Lakehurst, NJ. He was the fifth in a wild brood of six boys. Inspired by his father’s service in the U.S. Navy, Joe chose to attend the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 1966. Joe’s service in the Navy would eventually take him around the world. He saw stays in Pensacola, Metro DC, Moffett Field, California, Vietnam, Barbados, Jacksonville, The Pentagon, Bermuda, and finally Gainesville, Florida. He spent his Navy career in a tight-knit P-3 aviation community serving as a TACO, squadron XO, squadron CO, Base Commander, and finally educator, commanding UF’s ROTC unit. All told, Joe’s service to his country through the Navy lasted 32 years.
While serving at UF, Joe saw the future in computer software and the internet. So he pursued a second career upon retirement from the Navy in 1994. He signed on with a small, but driven software and consulting company in Gainesville and found himself celebrating 20 years with them this year. In that time, he developed a second, but equally loving, work family similar to that he enjoyed in the Navy. And he contributed to tremendous growth.
Joe’s personal passion in life was his family. He met his wife Patricia Conway at a Navy-Notre Dame game and they were married in 1967. This year they celebrated 47 years of marriage. Together they lived their dream to see the world, to build a loving family, to nurture friendships, and have a lot of laughs. While Joe’s true retired life was cut short, he and Trish could not have imagined a better life. The Navy gave them adventure, Gainesville brought them a warm return to Florida, and St. Augustine allowed them seven recent years of walks on the beach.
Beloved husband, brother, father, and grandfather, he was adored by all. Joe is survived by his wife Trish, his brothers Bill, Arthur, Paul, Tom, and Michael, his daughters Suzanne (Steve) Cory and Tricia (Craig) Strong, his sons Joe Jr. (Melanie) and Sean (Leilani)and grandchildren Katie, Nick, Nina, Jake, Ava, Lily, and Alex.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 9:30 a.m., in Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 10900 SW 24th Avenue, Gainesville, with Fr. Jeff McGowan as celebrant. Interment with full military honors will follow in Jacksonville National Cemetery at 2:00 p.m. The family will receive friends Monday, December 29, 2014, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at WILLIAMS-THOMAS FUNERAL HOME WESTAREA, 823 NW 143rd Street, Newberry. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Moffitt Cancer Center in honor of Joseph Phelan. Moffitt Cancer Center Foundation, PO Box 23827, Tampa, FL 33623-3827 or https://eforms.moffitt.org/makeadonation.aspx.
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