Joseph E. Minnichbach, 63, Vietnam War veteran

From Philly.com: Joseph E. Minnichbach, 63, Vietnam War veteran
Joseph E. Minnichbach, 63, of Trevose, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and retired customer-liaison specialist with the U.S. Department of Defense, died of complications of lung cancer Saturday, Aug. 13, at Abington Memorial Hospital.

Mr. Minnichbach enlisted in the Army after graduating from Bishop Egan (now Conwell-Egan) High School in Feasterville.

He trained at military bases in North Carolina and Missouri before being deployed to Vietnam in 1967. His unit was attacked by the Viet Cong in February 1968 during the Tet Offensive. Under enemy fire, he and a medic pulled the wounded to safety. He was hit by shrapnel on his right side, and awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for Valor.

After his discharge from active duty, Mr. Minnichbach served in the Army Reserve, retiring as a sergeant in 1994.

In civilian life, he was with the Defense Supply Center in Northeast Philadelphia for 30 years, retiring in 2009.

Mr. Minnichbach coached youth baseball and football for the Lower Southampton Athletic Association in the 1980s and 1990s. His players called him "Sarge," because he often came to practice from the Reserve in his Army fatigues, his wife, Maryanne Mullen Minnichbach, said.

He and his wife met through his grandparents, who were her neighbors. They began corresponding when he enlisted in the Army and married in 1969.

He loved his family and friends, and fishing and hunting in Bradford County, she said. A talented woodworker, he did most of the construction on his Bradford County cabin and furnished it with Native American artifacts, including a clay pipe from Montana and carvings and a rug, made by Eskimos, that he purchased on vacation in Alaska.

Besides his wife, Mr. Minnichbach is survived by his mother, Margaret Scott Minnichbach; sons Jeffrey, Joseph, and Edward; a daughter, Maryellen Corbett; a brother; a sister; and two grandchildren.

Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Fluehr Funeral Home, 800 Newtown-Richboro Rd., Richboro, and from 10:15 a.m. followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:05 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 18, at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church, 1900 Meadowbrook Rd., Feasterville. Burial will be in Washington Crossing National Cemetery, Newtown.

Donations may be made to Wounded Warrior Project, 1120 G St., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005.