After a brief illness and surrounded by his loving, caring children, Joseph Raymond Chilson passed away peacefully at his home on Palm Sunday, March 25, 2018.
Joe was born on Nov. 30, 1921, in Towanda, the son of Raymond Dorman and Cecil Elizabeth Hainsworth Chilson.
Joe attended Towanda area schools, but would be quick to tell anyone he got his education at the “School of Hard Knocks.”
When he became old enough to get a job, Mr. Karl D. Shiner at Shiner’s Sand & Gravel hired him as a heavy truck driver. Mornings before climbing into his truck he would cut asparagus on the Shiner farm.
On June 1, 1942 he was inducted into the U.S. Army Air Corps (later known as the United States Air Force), 597th Air Engineer Squadron 381st Air. Ser. and served his country during WWII with a portion of his military time being served overseas. He was trained and served as an airplane and engine mechanic. Upon completion of his tour of duty, he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the American Theatre Medal, the American-Pacific Theatre Service Award and a Victory Medal. While he was stationed at Ardmore Army Air Field, north of Gene Autry, Oklahoma, he met and married Joyce Rozzell, his wife of 65 years.
Within a few months after his discharge from the military service on Jan. 20, 1946, Joe and Joyce and new baby Joe came back to Bradford County. Joe and Joyce purchased a home on Mercur Hill in June of 1949 and lived on that property for the rest of their lives.
Joe was raised in a family with 10 children and he repeated that pattern. He and Joyce raised 10 children.
Joe returned to his job at Shiner’s Sand & Gravel, then went to work for Towanda Borough and years later retired from Masonite which ironically was built on the same grounds where he once cut asparagus. Additionally, Joe served as caretaker at the Mercur Hill Cemetery and continued to do so through the summer of 2017.
Joe was an avid hunter and fisherman and enjoyed traveling back and forth to Oklahoma over the years with his family. The family all have great memories of time spent with the Rozzell families. He loved to gather with family and friends around the kitchen table to play cards and dominoes, and was an Eagles and Giants fan. Any movie Joe Wayne was in Joe probably saw at least a dozen times.

He is survived by his children, Anetta Soper, Jerry (Anna Chilson), Larry Chilson, Cathy Shoemaker (Chuck Cimperman), LaVeda Gunther, Valarie Donat, and Karen Chilson; as well as daughters-in-law, Nancy Chilson and Michele (Bob) Marean; 11 granddaughters and 12 grandsons; 18 great-granddaughters and 28 great-grandsons; two great-great-granddaughters; his sister, Amanda Hoyt; and sister-in-law, Sandra Rozzell.
He was predeceased by his wife Joyce in 2009; children, Roger (2002), Joseph B (2009), Rose (2016); sons-in-law, Kenneth Gunther (2001), William Chris Shoemaker (2012) and Joseph Donat (2015), and Robert Soper (2017); brothers and sisters, Charlotte (Peg) Drislane (1971), Robert (1972), Donald (1981), Kenneth (1982), Margaret Zenewicz (1987), Isabelle Sites (1989), James (1999), Charles “Baldy” ( 2001) .

The family will receive friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Maryott-Bowen Funeral Home, 217 York Ave., Towanda, Pennsylvania. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, March 30, 2018, at the funeral home, with Pastor Dennis Fox officiating. Burial will be in the Wysox Cemetery, Wysox, Pennsylvania, with Towanda American Legion Post No. 42 according full military honors.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Valley Youth Hunter Education Challenge, Inc., P.O. Box 156, Rome, PA 18837, in Joe’s memory. Memories and condolences may be expressed by visiting www.bowenfuneralhomes.com.