Harold "Joe" J. Barthold II

Harold Joseph Barthold II (Joe), of Scituate, MA, died suddenly on February 15, 2023. Joe was born in Bethlehem, PA, on August 30, 1956, to Lee Jr. and Carol Barthold. He was the youngest of four siblings and graduated from Liberty High School (Bethlehem), where he played the bagpipes in the marching band. He attended University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he studied zoology, before earning his Medical Doctorate at Hahnemann Medical School in Philadelphia. After medical school and residency, he served in the United States Navy as a physician at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia.

Joe and his wife of 41 years, Joyce (Wilhelms), were married in Union, NJ in 1981. They moved to Cooperstown, NY, in 1989, where Joe continued his career as a radiation oncologist at Bassett Hospital. In 2002, Joe and his family moved to Scituate, MA. He worked at South Suburban Oncology Quincy (Quincy Hospital, Mass General); Commonwealth Oncology, Weymouth; and Beth Israel, Plymouth until his retirement in 2022. In 2016, he was accorded the honor of Fellowship in the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) for his contributions to the field of radiation oncology. He served countless cancer patients with extraordinary skill and compassion—he will be remembered for providing comfort and empathy through the toughest of times. His professional care and generosity extended to his personal life, where friends, and friends of friends, benefitted from his expertise and from his calming reassurance.

Joe was active in his church communities—Trinity Episcopal in Bethlehem, Christ Episcopal in Cooperstown, and St. Luke’s Episcopal in Scituate. His hobbies included bagpiping, telling stories, the church choir, gardening, reading, skiing, boating, golfing, traveling, tennis, playing cards, telling more stories, and most of all socializing with friends and family. Joe had the gift of being able to make lifelong friends in an instant. He was an avid lover of food and drink and was known for ending every meal by declaring that it was the “best meal I’ve ever had.” He said, “you can never have too many friends,” and this is reflected in the numerous strong bonds he formed and in his rich and vibrant social communities.

Joe’s family meant the world to him. He is survived by his wife Joyce; his children and their spouses, Hal (Rachel), Doug (Sara), and Meredith Pettinelli (Max); siblings Lee III (Edda), Anne (Rod), and Charles; granddaughters Anne and Lula; expected granddaughter Pettinelli; mother-in-law Joan and brothers-in-law George (Laura), and Warren; an aunt and uncle; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends.

A celebration of his life will be held on Friday, February 24, at 11:00am at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scituate, with visitation at the Richardson-Gaffey Funeral Home, Scituate, on Thursday, February 23, from 4:00-8:00pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (465 First Parish Road, Scituate, MA 02066).