Joseph Francis Colyar
Joseph F. Colyar Sr., of Richboro, who celebrated his 91st birthday on December 27, passed away January 26, 2024. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Ruth D. (Metzger) Colyar, son Thomas R. Colyar, and grandson Christopher A. Colyar.
Born December 27, 1932 in Philadelphia, he was the sixth of seven children of the late Henry and Catherine (O’Connor) Colyar.
Joe, who was affectionately called Pop by his sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, as well as many others, was a family man first. He was happiest when he was surrounded by his family and always had a smile on his face. He enjoyed the family holiday parties and summer parties, especially July 4th, at both his former home in Churchville and later at his shore house in Wildwood Crest, NJ. His birthday was always celebrated, on his birthdate!, with a large family party which he enjoyed very much.
He was an exemplary role model to his six sons. His hardworking and business acumen made him a successful entrepreneur. A graduate of Roman Catholic High School, he went on to serve in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War as an Electrician from 1950 until 1956. He then went to work for IBM as a Computer Engineer installing and troubleshooting the IBM 360 and 370 systems. In 1972 he became his own boss and started CHMC, a business for maintaining IBM mainframe computers, then later expanded with the service side, CHSC. Pop established CHI Institute in Southampton PA in 1982 to fill the gap of future technical training requirements.
Pop retired at age 65 and was able to enjoy the fruits of his hard work. He traveled and cruised the world with his wife Ruth. The U.S. Virgin Island’s was their favorite vacation spot. He enjoyed sportfishing with his sons in the offshore waters of NJ on his boats Megabyte and then Gigabyte.
Pop was the rock of the family. His stubborn but fair manner helped transform naive sons into successful adults. He was always there to help and mentor. He will be sorely missed and we all will strive to be the man he was.
He is survived by his five sons; Joseph F. Colyar Jr., James J. Colyar (Nancy), John T. Colyar (Lynda), Kevin R. Colyar (Alice), and Mark S. Colyar (Leslie); daughter-in-law Diane Colyar; 15 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.
He was also preceded in death by his siblings, Harry Colyar, Raymond Colyar, John Colyar, Catherine Rodgers, Dolores Charpentier, and Rose Zomer.
Family and friends are invited to pay respects on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 from 10:00 am until the funeral service at 12:00 pm at Joseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, 800 Newtown-Richboro Rd. (at Holland Rd.), Richboro, PA. Interment will be held privately at Washington Crossing National Cemetery at a later date.
Contributions in Joseph’s name can be made to the American Diabetes Association, https://diabetes.org/ .
Morning Visitation
Wednesday, January 31st, 2024
10:00 AM - 12:00 PMJoseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, Richboro
800 Newtown-Richboro Road
Richboro, PA 18954Funeral Service
Wednesday, January 31st, 2024
12:00 PMJoseph A. Fluehr III Funeral Home, Richboro
800 Newtown-Richboro Road
Richboro, PA 18954Interment will take place privately, on a future date.
Washington Crossing National Cemetery
830 Highland Road
Newtown, PA 18940