February 22, 2025
On February 16, Joe Barstys, a multi-talented man with a strong religious conviction and boundless love for his family, passed away quietly at Samaritan Hospice in Voorhees. He was eighty-five.He has had positions as an editor, a photographer, a customer service representative, and a Catholic priest for a number of years. He was a musician and scholar with a lovely singing voice and a guitar. In addition to English, he was proficient in Polish, Italian, Latin, Spanish, French, and German. He raised native bees, was an enthusiastic fisherman, and loved gardening and bird watching. He read a great deal.According to Brandon, his grandson, “he was always wise, supportive, and one of the most intellectual men you’d ever meet.” He was a dedicated student who embodied the maxim “do your research if you don’t know something.” Everywhere he traveled, he was regarded by many as a representative of peace and goodwill.He was raised in Niagara Falls, New York, after being born in Old Forge, Pennsylvania, in 1939 to Joseph Barstis (whose name was spelled in Lithuania) and Stella Barstis (née Buckman). He went to St. Stanislaus Kostka Elementary School and St. Anthony of Padua, a boarding school and small seminary in Watkins Glen, New York, where his parents were devoted Catholics.He attended the Franciscan novitiate in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and graduated from the neighboring St. Francis College in Burlington, Wisconsin, with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a minor in education. He was assigned to the Philadelphia Archdiocese in 1966 after completing his studies at Christ the King Seminary in West Chicago, Illinois.Then, as his longtime pastor Michael Doyle would remark, he left the active ministry because his life took a different direction. He later met Carmen Gallo while he was employed as a commercial photographer. After getting married in June 1974, they adopted two daughters: Ana and Claire, who died before him. In 1977, they relocated from Haddonfield to Cherry Hill, where they remained married for over 50 years.He spent more than 20 years as a marketing manager and editor of Subaru of America’s internal journal until retiring in 2009. Additionally, he was a trailblazer in the area of client happiness. He was included in a 2002 Washington Post piece about how buyers don’t read lengthy, complex owner’s manuals. He also thought of offering a glossy, color-coded eight-page foldout for Subaru cars that addressed the most fundamental queries regarding basic maintenance, such as how to change the oil or replace the wiper fluid.He was quoted in the Post article on the owner’s manual, which can be over 450 pages long, as stating, “It’s required by law, but it’s common knowledge that people are typically not reading it.” It can be excessively lengthy and esoteric at times.The National Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business, a trade association for customer service experts in all sectors, has him as its chairman. Additionally, he served on the board of directors of Peirce College, a college for working adults.He was employed at Yale Lift Truck Technologies, a manufacturer of forklifts and other lifting equipment, earlier in his career.He served in the liturgical ministry and participated in numerous social justice outreach programs over his more than 45 years as a devoted member of Sacred Heart Parish in Camden.They talked about it a lot when he taught his friend Jack Dever the Latin phrase potuit, decuit, ergo fecit, which translates to, It was feasible, it was appropriate, therefore it was accomplished. John Duns Scotus, a theologian and priest from medieval Scotland, used the phrase to explain the Immaculate Conception theory, among other things.For many years, Joe Barstys served on the Sacred Heart Liturgy Committee. He carried on serving others with compassion and insight throughout his life.He understood the wider perspective of inclusive and progressive Catholic ritual and possessed a wealth of theological knowledge. At the Table of God’s Love, we shared the preparation and caring that fed a great number of people. He freely shared his faith with a great number of people and lived out his beliefs. His voice repeating our requests during the weekly Prayer of the Faithful will always remain in my memory. According to his friend Barbara Dever, “May his spirit ascend like incense to the gracious heart of God.”His surviving family includes his wife Carmen, daughter Ana and husband Nick Williams, sister Margaret Bailey (predeceased husband Paul), brother David and his wife Kimberly, nephews Stephen Barstys, Michael Bailey and his wife Lisa, Scott Bailey and his wife Dianne, Jeffrey and his wife Julie, and Andrew Martin, as well as grandchildren Brandon, Seth, Charlie, and Connor, and niece Natalie Barstys. Rob, her husband, and another sister, Marie Martin, passed away previously.The family would like to express their gratitude to the Samaritan Hospice personnel for providing Joe with such kind care in his last days.On Saturday, February 22, at 11:00 a.m., there will be a Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart Church, located at the intersection of Broadway and Ferry Avenue in Camden. Visitation hours are from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Following is a committal service at Cherry Hill, New Jersey’s Locustwood Cemetery. Donations can be made to the Sacred Heart School Sponsorship Program at 1739 Ferry Avenue, Camden, NJ 08104, in place of flowers.