Joseph J. Byrne Jr.

Joseph John Byrne, Jr of Goodyear, AZ died peacefully on August 14, 2026. He was born in San Antonio, TX where his father was serving in the US Army Air Corps. The oldest of 5 children, he was preceded in death by his wife of 50 years, Barbara Frederick Byrne and beloved parents: Joseph John Byrne, Sr and Alberta Huffman Byrne. Joe spent the first 12 years of his life in the beautiful town of Galesville, WI. The family moved to the Valley of the Sun in 1957. Quite a change from village life to the big city, even though Phoenix only had around 100,000 citizens at the time.

Joe was listed in the top 10, academically, of his graduating class at South Mountain High School. He was honored to have one of his etched wood rubbings on display at the Phoenix Art Museum. His charcoal sketches of Arizona landmarks such as San Xavier Mission are enjoyed by family and friends to this day. Joe went on to receive his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics, math, and education from ASU. He then started his teaching career at his alma mater, South Mountain High School. He subsequently taught at North; East, where his wife also taught; and Camelback High Schools where he served as the Physics and Math department Chair. After his retirement, he taught Physics part-time at Paradise Valley Community College.

He was known for his gardening skills, and his yard reflected the natural beauty of the McDowell Mountains where he lived for many years. He nurtured the cactus, foliage, and the variety of birds that made his yard their home.

Joseph is survived by his son, Lt. Col. Christopher John Byrne, recently retired as a fighter pilot with the US Air Force. Chris lives in Misawa, Japan with his wife, Elizabeth and Joe’s granddaughters: MacKenzie and Hailey. He is further survived by his siblings: Paula, Linda, Steven, and Jeffrey as well as many nieces, nephews, and greats! He was a “People Person” and loved to strike up conversations with new friends and meet for lunch with old friends, i.e. Saint Catherine of Sienna elementary school mates.

The family wishes to thank the many caregivers who were like family to him these past few years: Monica, Tina, Karina, Emily and Itzel to name a few. They provided him with so much comfort during these last months of his life.

Joe, whose favorite pass time was Genealogy, will be laid to rest near his parents and extensive family in Pine Cliff Cemetery, Galesville, WI, as was his wish.