Joseph Fadgen

Joseph Patrick (Jay) Fadgen passed away peacefully on March 14, 2026, supported by family through his final moments. He was born on December 2, 1944, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the fourth of six children to Louise Elizabeth and John Frances Fadgen. He and his siblings experienced the loss of both parents at an early age, spending several of their formative years in either the orphanage or foster care.

When Jay was in the third grade, he promised his mother he would become a priest so that he might better provide comforting communications between his mother and his father, who was in Heaven. Jay went to the seminary at 14, eventually graduating from high school and college before attending one semester at the School of Theology. He graduated from college with a double major in French and Philosophy, and a minor in History. Upon leaving the Seminary in 1967, he attended Duquesne University Graduate School and earned a master’s degree in History in 1968. During many of these learning years, Jay supported himself through teaching, as a taxi cab driver, railroad brakeman in a steel mill, waiter/busboy, telephone solicitor, and marketing representative.

In October 1973, Jay began what was to be a long and productive career in government service. He worked for Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and the Joint Cruise Missile Command, where he worked on projects related to various naval aircraft, including the F-14A Tomcat, the E-2C Hawkeye, and the F-4 Phantom II, as well as missiles such as the Sidewinder and Sparrow. He was selected for the Senior Executive Service (SES), after which he became the Department Head for Navy Fixed-wing Aircraft and Missiles Contracts. He was very proud of the work he did to minimize government costs and create effective and efficient processes.

Further applying his appreciation for efficiency and quality, Jay was selected to work as a Baldridge Examiner, and later worked as a consultant with his consulting service, Lodestar Consulting. In Jay’s words, it was “very satisfying work.”

Jay retired from government service in 2000 and from consulting work in 2013. He kept himself busy in retirement with his passions: politics, woodworking, tinkering, and gardening.

He loved to discuss policy and current topics, volunteering at the Lincolnia Senior Center to facilitate current discussions, and walking the median with his sandwich board during election season. He enjoyed turning exotic or unusual wood into artistic bowls and ornaments, often giving them as gifts to friends and family.

There was nothing Jay couldn’t fix, from toys to furnaces. No job was too big, with every broken item seen as an opportunity to learn. And, in his eyes, a productive summer was best measured by the pounds of tomatoes and beans grown.

Additionally, Jay enjoyed reading and the opportunities he had to travel with his wife, Sharon, to Great Britain (twice), Ireland, Egypt, Italy, France, the Holy Land, and China.

In the late 1960’s, Jay had the good fortune to meet his future wife, Sharon Lee Kill. They married in May 1971 and enjoyed connubial bliss for almost 55 years. Jay and Sharon were blessed with three beautiful and brilliant children who were similarly blessed with beautiful and brilliant spouses. Each of those three couples brought two beautiful and talented children into the world who Jay loved immeasurably.

He always said, and not just in his later years, but especially then, he was most fortunate to be married to the love of his whole life, Sharon.

Jay was predeceased by his parents, Louise and John, his brothers John, James, Jerome, and Kevin, and his sister, Jane. He is survived by his wife, Sharon, his children, Justin (Casey), Elisabeth (Jason), and John (Gia), and his grandchildren, Jamie, Jenna, Samuel, Benjamin, Jetson, and Rey.

The viewing is scheduled for March 31, from 4 to 8 pm at National Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 7482 Lee Hwy, Falls Church, VA 22042. The funeral mass will be held at 10:30 am on April 1, at St. Philip Catholic Church, 7500 St. Philip Ct, Falls Church, VA 22042. The internment will be held at National Funeral Home and Memorial Park at 12 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please donate to St. Jude's or The American Cancer Society.