Obituary of Joseph H. Mangold

Mangold, Joseph H. FREEHOLD - Joseph Henry Mangold, LT United States Navy (Ret.), 82, passed away Tuesday, September 21, 2010. Born in Brooklyn on May 2, 1928, he was son of the late Henry and Mildred Tunison Mangold. Joseph grew up in Freehold. He attended the Freehold one room schoolhouse, and graduated from Greenville Central School in June 1946 as Class President. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy and spent the next 28 years serving his country, at home and abroad. Joseph worked his way through the ranks to Chief Quartermaster. He entered Officers Candidate School and went on to graduate in 1962. He was commissioned as Ensign and assigned to the USS Carter Hall in Vietnam where he received the Vietnamese, Advisory and Defense Campaign Awards and Counter Offensive Campaign Award with Three Bronze Stars. Joseph also received Good Conduct Awards with Three Gold Stars, WW II Victory Medals, National Defense Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Cuba) and Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal. Upon his retirement in 1974, Joseph returned home to Freehold where he served his community as a member and Past President in the Freehold Volunteer Fire Company for 30 years, and remained active until 2006. Many times Joe would be seen driving his tractor down to Freehold to mow and maintain the fire company property. No one asked him; he just did it. He was a very dedicated member and couldn't do enough for the company. He also served for many years as secretary/treasurer of the Freehold Cemetery Association. Not a small job by any means, he kept careful records for loved ones searching for information. Joe took care of them. He also served for many years as an active member of the Greenville Library Board. Joe was a very dedicated and caring citizen. Joseph led a very active life until he was diagnosed with dementia and diabetes. He loved his family and devoted much of his time to caring for his parents in their later years. He was meticulous in caring for the family home, "Cherry Hill Homestead", always mowing the lawns and tending to the family gardens. Joe loved his family, his home and the outdoors. He particularly enjoyed the Mangold/Tunison reunions at Cherry Hill Homestead, where each July, more than fifty would gather and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, share old family albums, play outdoor games and eat all day long. And, following a Mangold tradition for generations, all the families gathered each November for a true and blessed day of Thanksgiving. A family so close and loving, Joseph will be terribly missed by his sisters, Ruth Mangold Herrington (late Robert) of Castleton-on-Hudson and Frances Mangold Ayrey (Raymond) of Palm Coast, Fla., and by his brother and caregiver, Robert Henry Mangold (Virginia) of South Westerlo. Joseph will be missed by his many loving nephews and nieces and their children who he loved. Joseph was predeceased by two beautiful sisters, Theresa Mangold Notarnicola and Barbara Mangold Baron, and his dearest aunt, Agnes Tunison LaMay. The funeral will be Monday, Sept. 27 at 9:30 a.m. from the A.J. Cunningham Funeral Home, 4898 SR 81, Greenville, then to St. John the Baptist Church where a Funeral Mass will be offered at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Freehold Cemetery. Calling hours will be Sunday from 6 to 9 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, a donation in Joe's memory to the Freehold Fire Company will be appreciated. Light a candle at ajcunninghamfh.com.