Joseph H. Wasel

Joseph Henry Wasel of Bethlehem died on Sunday, July 23, 2006 at St. Luke?s VNA Hospice of congestive heart failure. He was 91 years old. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, on April 6, 1915, to Lithuanian immigrant Peter Stanley Wasel and Sarah Pearl Yorkis Wasel of the Sheraden neighborhood, he was the middle of three children. His older brother, Albert Wasel, and his sister, Evangeline Wasel Sell, had both, like his parents, passed away earlier. Joe Wasel attended the University of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1936 in the midst of the Great Depression with a B.S. in chemical engineering. Taking a job that same year with the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Wasel worked as a metallurgical engineer with ?The Steel? for 46 years. An avid traveler, athlete, and member of the Appalachian Trail Club, Wasel lived for many years at the University Club on East Market Street, Bethlehem. He was active in various choirs and choral societies, including the M