Joseph L. Cavanaugh
May 1, 1937 ~ January 20, 2015
Joe was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on May 1, 1937 to Joseph and Marguerite Cavanaugh. Sadly, his mother passed away when he was 14. His father married Dorothy, who was a wonderful stepmother (and grandmother). Joe was very active with The Boy Scouts of America and ultimately earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
He attended Holy Cross College followed by St. Mary's Seminary and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1963.
After working in several parishes in Massachusetts, he volunteered for the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps in 1967 as a Lieutenant and served during the Vietnam Era until 1971. He was stationed in Guam Naval Hospital and was responsible for providing mental and spiritual services at two evacuation hospitals and servicing 1, 000 AIRVAC wounded each week. He was also the senior Catholic Chaplain when he was stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital. Joe decided to leave the priesthood and was honorably discharged in 1971.
After he retired from the Navy, he met Mary Elizabeth Bradley. They started dating and after six weeks, they were engaged. They continued a long distance engagement while Mary was stationed in Newfoundland for a year. They were married on June 2, 1971. Their son, Sean was born in 1975 and although Joe maintained that "only children live fulfilled lives," their daughter, Erin was born in 1977.
Joe's career with the Federal Service spanned 38 years. He administered Federal Drug Programs, worked at the National Center for Health Statistics, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services. He retired in 2008.
In addition to being a loving husband and father, Joe's passions focused on woodworking and woodturning starting around 2000. His talents were evident and he quickly developed into a fine artist. His bowls, clocks, pens, platters, and cord pulls (to name a few) decorate the homes of his friends and family. Of course, the element of danger was most likely an attraction to this "sport." Joe recounted one memorable moment when a walnut platter flew off the lathe, hit the ceiling in his workshop, jettisoned off the wall, resounded off the heating duct, which alerted Mary who was sitting in the living room upstairs, and sent his dog, Chip, running for cover under a table. He repaired the dents in the platter, performed some design modifications, and named the piece: Ricochet. From then on, he always wore a full-face mask while turning.
Joe also had a spiritual passion, which he generously shared with his friends and loved ones. An active member of the Mount Tabor Catholic Community, he often brought other religions into discussions and stimulated meaningful conversations. He found the beauty in all religions and truly believed in living in the present moment and sharing joy and love to all of those around him. He married spiritualism into his Catholic beliefs beautifully.
Even when Joe was told that the tumor in his head was aggressive and that time was short, he was an example of not only how to live in life, but of how to be when facing death. He would advise us to focus on what is important (hint: work/career is not even in the top 5!), tell your loved ones how much they mean to you every day, and meet one new person every week. In the words of Joe:
I am eternal
this image will fade, but I am infinite.
I am here temporarily for a reason and I will be passionate about all I do.
See yourself as an infinite being having a human experience
then have no fear of death.
Understand your true essence and you do not die!
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
He attended Holy Cross College followed by St. Mary's Seminary and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1963.
After working in several parishes in Massachusetts, he volunteered for the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps in 1967 as a Lieutenant and served during the Vietnam Era until 1971. He was stationed in Guam Naval Hospital and was responsible for providing mental and spiritual services at two evacuation hospitals and servicing 1, 000 AIRVAC wounded each week. He was also the senior Catholic Chaplain when he was stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital. Joe decided to leave the priesthood and was honorably discharged in 1971.
After he retired from the Navy, he met Mary Elizabeth Bradley. They started dating and after six weeks, they were engaged. They continued a long distance engagement while Mary was stationed in Newfoundland for a year. They were married on June 2, 1971. Their son, Sean was born in 1975 and although Joe maintained that "only children live fulfilled lives," their daughter, Erin was born in 1977.
Joe's career with the Federal Service spanned 38 years. He administered Federal Drug Programs, worked at the National Center for Health Statistics, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services. He retired in 2008.
In addition to being a loving husband and father, Joe's passions focused on woodworking and woodturning starting around 2000. His talents were evident and he quickly developed into a fine artist. His bowls, clocks, pens, platters, and cord pulls (to name a few) decorate the homes of his friends and family. Of course, the element of danger was most likely an attraction to this "sport." Joe recounted one memorable moment when a walnut platter flew off the lathe, hit the ceiling in his workshop, jettisoned off the wall, resounded off the heating duct, which alerted Mary who was sitting in the living room upstairs, and sent his dog, Chip, running for cover under a table. He repaired the dents in the platter, performed some design modifications, and named the piece: Ricochet. From then on, he always wore a full-face mask while turning.
Joe also had a spiritual passion, which he generously shared with his friends and loved ones. An active member of the Mount Tabor Catholic Community, he often brought other religions into discussions and stimulated meaningful conversations. He found the beauty in all religions and truly believed in living in the present moment and sharing joy and love to all of those around him. He married spiritualism into his Catholic beliefs beautifully.
Even when Joe was told that the tumor in his head was aggressive and that time was short, he was an example of not only how to live in life, but of how to be when facing death. He would advise us to focus on what is important (hint: work/career is not even in the top 5!), tell your loved ones how much they mean to you every day, and meet one new person every week. In the words of Joe:
I am eternal
this image will fade, but I am infinite.
I am here temporarily for a reason and I will be passionate about all I do.
See yourself as an infinite being having a human experience
then have no fear of death.
Understand your true essence and you do not die!
Funeral Home:
Money & King Funeral Home
171 W. Maple Ave.
Vienna, VA
US 22180
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We extend our deepest condolences to you, Mary, and your family. You are in our thoughts and prayers daily.
Mary, Sean & Erin. Our Prayers are with you all. Luke & Alicia Whitburn
Mary, Sean and Erin, My sincere condolences to the family. You are in my thoughts and prayers at this time. Much love coming your way and hope any words of comfort will hep ease, just a bit, your pain during this difficult time.
Dear Mary, Sean, and Erin, How blessed we all are to have known Joe. My prayers are with you now and always. Love, Cathy
Dear Mary, Sean, and Erin, How blessed we all are to have known Joe. My prayers are with you now and always. Love, Cathy
It is with sadness that I read of Joe’s death. He was a Guammy and one of us. He saw what we saw. Lived where we lived. Laughed when we laughed. Cried when we cried. Walked the same exotic trails of Guam as we did. It is a privilege to have served our country at the same time and place and an honor to have see him one more time in Boston at our reunion in 2012. He was a fun guy and a good guy.
You have my deepest sympathy for your loss. Joe was my colleague at the Dept of Health and Human Services. He was one of the most insightful men that I had the honor to work with. Joe, as the Mac Wiz introduced me to my startup webpage that Ive been using for over a decade. Joe had a knack of using his good nature ribbing and humor at looking at world problems from an alternate perspective. We both loved wood-working but Joe had a true talent with lathe wood-turning. Joe often spoke fondly of his family and he was especially proud of his familys accomplishments. I am fortunate to have known Joe and my prayers are with his family
You have my deepest sympathy for your loss. Joe was my colleague at the Dept of Health and Human Services. He was one of the most insightful men that I had the honor to know. Joe, as the Mac Wiz introduced me to my startup webpage that Ive been using for over a decade. Joe had a knack of using his good nature ribbing and humor with looking at world problems from an alternate perspective. We both loved wood-working but Joe had a true talent with lathe wood-turning. Joe often spoke fondly of his family and he was especially proud of his familys accomplishments. I am fortunate to have known Joe and my prayers are with his family
Mary, Sean & Erin, We are so sorry to hear of Joe’s passing. He was such a wonderful man. We have many fond memories of us all together when the girls were young. You are all in our thoughts and prayers as you go through this difficult time.
Joe was always so friendly and made you feel like what you said was inportant to him He and Mary made a great team.Mary we know how much you and the children will miss him,our prayers are with you.
Joe was always so friendly and made you feel like what you said was inportant to him He and Mary made a great team.Mary we know how much you and the children will miss him,our prayers are with you.
We will miss our dear friend and neighbor. Such a wonderful caring guy and always with a warm cheery greeting. It is with much sadness we miss him. Love to Mary Erin and Shawn and Emma
Mary, Sean and Erin, I will miss seeing and visiting with Joe while driving down the street or walking my dogs. In the space of a few minutes, we would catch up on politics, landscaping and real estate in Northern Virginia AND New Hampshire. He was very proud of his sister in New Hampshire and made sure I knew that she was also a Realtor. We would compare the market in both areas and share unusual real estate stories. Joe had plenty to share and I swear he never met a stranger. I’m sure he’s already chatting and laughing with all his new friends above. He will be missed! Ann & Steve