Joseph "Little Joe" Spychalsky passed away peacefully on February 16th just shy of his 83rd birthday. He was born in Hempstead, New York to Joseph and Amelia as the eldest of 5 children. Joe graduated from Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont with a degree in business. While at St. Mike’s, Joe was a member of the 1958 basketball team that made it all the way to the NCAA tournament finals. Dubbed the “Iron Knights” the team ended their Cinderella run by losing their final game to South Dakota.
After college, Joe worked for Sperry on Long Island, NY where he met his wife Joan to whom he was married for 50 years. During his tenure at Sperry he worked on the Apollo 13 Lunar Excursion Module that ferried the astronauts back to Earth following that tragedy in space.
Seeking warmer weather, Joe moved his young family to Melbourne, Florida in 1967, taking a position at Radiation (later becoming Harris Corp.) where he managed many subcontracts for satellite antennas. Joe later moved to Northrop Grumman and worked on the JSTARs program. He retired from Grumman in 1999.
He loved to read and relax in his sun room once his age and health prevented him from outdoor fun. In his younger years he enjoyed golfing, boating, fishing, shrimping and crabbing from the causeway bridges.
Joe is survived by children Kathleen Telkamp (Tim) and Joe Spychalsky (Christina); grandchildren Jon, Lauren, Melanie, and Julia (Spychalsky), Dylan and Christian (Telkamp); brother Bob Spychalsky (Sue); and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by son Bob and wife Joan.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 1710 Hickory St, Melbourne, FL 32901.
Cremation has taken place and a celebration of Joe's life will be held at a later date.
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