Joseph J. Lisa, Jr.

Joseph J. Lisa, Jr., on August 10, 2024, age 94 of Sewell, NJ, formerly of Cherry Hill, NJ. Beloved husband of the late Loretta Lisa (nee Giuliano).  Dear father of Joseph J. (Julie) Lisa, III and Jo Ann (Alex) Matienko. Loving grandfather of Joseph W. Lisa, Lauren Matienko, Andrew Lisa and Ashley Matienko. Cherished brother of Franklin (Frances) Lisa. Also survived by a dear family friend Marie Ferguson.  Predeceased by his siblings Robert Lisa and Joyce Iuliano.

Musician, Professional Engineer, author, inventor and “life-long learner,” Joseph was fortunate to be able to merge his professional career with his interests in music and learning about how things work during a long and highly successful professional life.

Having grown up in Chesilhurst, New Jersey, he enrolled in the United States Navy in 1948 and served with the United States Navy Band until 1952.  Playing saxophone in the Navy band, he was able to travel the world entertaining our troops and serving as a goodwill ambassador for the United States.  It was during his time in the Navy, that he developed his interest in other nations and their cultures, and his love of travel.  After being honorably discharged in 1952, he returned to private life playing as a professional musician and teaching music to students throughout the Camden County area.  Although being a musician was not his final career, he never stopped having a love of music and passed along that that love to his children and grandchildren.

After having decided to start a family with his wife, Loretta, he attended the Drexel Institute of Technology (now Drexel University) on the GI Bill and eventually earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.  He then began a long and rewarding career as both a mechanical and civil engineer working for, among other companies, the New York Shipbuilding Company, the Otis Elevator Company and finally settling with John G. Reutter and Associates, a consulting engineering firm located in Camden, New Jersey, where he rose to become a Vice President.  Some of the many projects on which he worked or had a lead managerial role included: engineering work on the Atlantic City Expressway and construction of the wastewater treatment plant in Atlantic County, New Jersey.  He served as a commissioner for the Atlantic City Expressway Authority (the precursor to the South Jersey Transportation Authority).  He also served on the engineering licensing board for the State of New Jersey.  The Reutter Engineering firm was also “way ahead of its time” in addressing renewable energy.  The company installed in the late 1970s on the top of its headquarters building in Camden, NJ, a revolutionary windmill, designed in the shape of a light bulb – in large part the product of efforts to address the energy crisis of the 1970s.  Joseph Lisa played an integral role in the promotion of the windmill.

While working as an engineer and promoting activities of the company, he was fortunate to be able to travel the world, consulting with numerous companies interested in obtaining engineering services and investing in renewable energy pursuits.  He always would marvel – “I cannot believe that a young boy who grew up on a farm in Chesilhurst is now traveling in ____Korea, Greece, Italy, the middle east, etc., and making presentations on complex engineering topics.”

Even while in retirement, his curiosity about the world and how things were designed never ceased.  Additionally, his desire to share his knowledge and experience with others was a catalyst for his work on writing books about mathematics and engineering for the public.  Up until the very end of his life, having suffered a number of strokes that affected his vision, he did not let these difficulties stop his “thirst for knowledge”.  He was listening to audiobooks on a wide range of topics of history and science until the very end of his life.  Both he and his wife Loretta (a teacher of middle school students for many years) shared the belief that “education” was the key to success.

Ultimately, his greatest passion was his love for his family and his “never-ending” efforts to ensure that his children and grandchildren would be successful in life, both personally and professionally.

Relatives and friends will meet for his viewing and funeral on Tuesday evening, August 13th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the BOCCO FUNERAL HOME, 1300 North Kings Hwy., Cherry Hill, NJ 08034.  Funeral Services will be conducted at 8:00pm Tuesday evening in the funeral home.  There will be no viewing on Wednesday morning. Relatives and friends are invited to gather directly at the Calvary Cemetery Mausoleum Chapel, Cherry Hill, NJ where the committal service will begin promptly at 10:00am Wednesday morning.