DiTullio

Joseph M. DiTullio, 77, of Butler died peacefully Tuesday evening at his home surrounded by his family.

He was born in Butler, July 17, 1933, a son of the late Guiseppe and Mary DiBaccaro DiTullio.

He was a 1951 graduate of Butler High School and had played guard on the 1950 WPIAL Championship team, a group that recently was inducted into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame.

Joe retired from the silicon department of AK Steel's Butler plant in April 1995, where he worked for 44 years.

He proudly served his country with the U.S. Army for two years during the Korean War and followed that with 27 years in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

Mr. DiTullio was a member of American Legion Post 243 in West Sunbury and the VFW Butler Post 249.

He was a very active member of the Butler Lions Club, where he had served on the board of directors for 20 years and had volunteered at Beacon Lodge, the Lions Club camp for blind clients. In April, 2010, he was honored to receive the Melvin Jones Award, which serves as Lions Club recognition for dedicated humanitarian services.

He was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church and volunteered at the Katie's Kitchen project as well as having been a former Meals on Wheels volunteer.

Joe enjoyed camping at Smith's Grove Campground near Herman and was a member of the Butler Bocce Association. He was a former baseball and basketball coach for the Center Township teams and had been president and vice president of the Butler Band Parents organization.

Surviving are his wife, Virginia “Ginger” Bowser DiTullio, who he married July 25, 1970; three children, Karen Murdick and her husband, Ronald, of Butler, JoAnn DiTullio of Tennessee and Scott DiTullio and his wife, Joyce, of Clarion; four grandchildren, Matthew Murdick, Jamie (Josh) Belk, MacKenzie DiTullio and Noah DiTullio; two great-grandchildren, Talan Murdick and Ava Brewster; and a sister, Vivian Wittik, of Butler.

Joe was preceded in death by his first wife, Ruth Crawford DiTullio, who died in 1964; his grandson, Anthony Murdick, who died in 2001; a brother, Anthony DiTullio; and a sister, Louise Nanni.

<B>DITULLIO </B>— Friends of Joseph M. DiTullio, who died Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, will be received at the <B>Geibel Funeral Home</B>, 201 E. Cunningham St., Butler, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 120 Sunset Drive, Butler. His pastor, the Rev. Thomas Pierotti, will officiate. Interment will follow at the West Sunbury Union Cemetery with military honors provided by the Joint Ceremonial Squad of VFW Post 249 in Butler and Lyndora American Legion Post 778.The Butler Lions Club will conduct a memorial service at 6:30 p.m. today at the funeral home.Information also is available at www.geibelfuneralhome.com.