FORT WORTH -- Joseph "Joe" Michael Pytel went home to be with his Lord and loved ones on Thursday, March 6, 2008, surrounded by the family he loved so much and who loved him.
Funeral: 10 a.m. Tuesday at Emerald Hills Memorial Chapel. Burial: Emerald Hills Memorial Park. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Emerald Hills Funeral Home.
Joseph was born to Stanislau and Zofia Pytal on Sept. 16, 1924, in the village of Tarnov, Neb., named for the Polish city of Tarnov from which his parents and others migrated. His father was the caretaker of St. Michael's Catholic Church where he and his siblings attended school and church. In 1990 this complex was placed in the National Register of Historical Places Worthy of Preservation.
He was a painter for J.L. Trice Painting Contractors for several years and a hard-working member of VFW Post 8911 for many years. He met his wife while serving in the Air Force and settled in Fort Worth.
We wish to thank Mary Johnson for her tender care and Plaza Medical and Regency hospitals for all the special care given to our dad.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Olga Ruth Pytel; son, Raymond Eugene Pytel; grandson, Joe Tyler Pytel; and his five brothers and sisters.
Survivors: His children, Joseph "Jody" Pytel, Stanley Pytel, Dennis Pytel, Freddy Joe Pytel, all of Fort Worth, Janet Hodges of Joshua and Margaret Anderson of Idaho; he was "Paw-paw" or grandpa to 21 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren; sister, Leona Johns of Indianapolis, Ind.; and many extended-family members and friends whose lives he deeply touched.