Joseph John Dryburgh, Jr., was born on July 27, 1951, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, to Joseph J. and Geraldine (Rittner) Dryburgh. Joe was a 1970 graduate of Lower Merion High School and a 1974 graduate of St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania. He lived most of his life in the Philadelphia suburbs until moving to Ponte Vedra, Florida in 2021.
Joe began his career with railroads in the Penn Central shops in Altoona in 1974. He became a brakeman in 1975 and then moved to the Philadelphia area to work in management. Joe worked in a number of departments at ConRail, including Network Operations (Blue Room), Sales and Marketing, and Human Resources. He was vice-president of sales for ConRail Mercury. He later became the general manager of Thoroughbred Direct Intermodal Services, a subsidiary of Norfolk Southern. He retired in 2011.
Joe had a lifelong love of music which he shared with his children. He had a keen sense of humor and often had a quick-witted response. His positive attitude and his generous spirit were apparent to all who knew him. He enjoyed gardening and travel. His overall source of fulfillment and pride came from raising his three children.
Joe is survived by his wife of 47 years, Susan (Zabel) Dryburgh, of Ponte Vedra; his children, Joseph, III (Jay) and his wife, Dawn, of Los Angeles, John of Baton Rouge and Lauren of Shaftsbury, Vermont; and his sister, Deborah (Peter) O’Malley of Merced, California. He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Steve (Laura) Zabel of Casa Grande, Arizona; and his sisters-in law, Carolyn (Jeff) Hoffmann of Guttenberg, Iowa, and Patricia (Everett) Baltz of North Platte, Nebraska; as well as by several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Joe’s life will be celebrated in a service at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 276 N. Roscoe Blvd, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, at 2:00 on Friday, June 2, 2023.
The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Dr. James A. Rittner Scholarship Fund at St. Francis University, Loretto, PA, or to Lord of Life Lutheran Church.
