Joseph L. LaBuda, 77, of Bethlehem,
died May 29 in Country Meadows, Bethlehem.
He retired in 1983 as an assistant general foreman
of the coke works for Bethlehem Steel Corp., where
he was employed for 30 years.
Born in Bethlehem, he was a son of the late Joseph
and Mary (Mizak) LaBuda.
He was a member of Ss. Cyril and
Methodius Catholic Church, where he sang in the
choir and also sang in the choir at Holy Infancy
Catholic Church, both of Bethlehem.
He was an Army 82nd Airborne
veteran of World War II and fought in Normandy,
D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge was awarded the
Purple Heart medal.
Survivors: Sons, Gary L. of Marietta, Lancaster
County, Joel L. of Springfield, Va.; brother,
Francis, and sisters, Mary Reisteter, Agnes Stephan,
Helen Galgocy and Cecelia Zakeski, all of Bethlehem;
five grandchildren.
Services: 9:30 a.m. Monday, Connell Funeral Home,
245 E. Broad faSt., Bethlehem. Mass, 10 a.m. Monday in
Ss. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church. Call
8:30-9:30 a.m. Monday in the funeral home.
(The Morning Call, Allentown,
PA, 31 May 2002, Page B10 - courtesy of Tedd Cocker) |
 Grave
marker for Joseph L. Labuda in Saints Cyril and
Methodius Catholic Cemetery, Bethlehem
(Northampton), Pennsylvania.
Joseph enlisted in the Army on June
25, 1943 in enlisted at Allentown, PA and after
completing jump school he was assigned to Company F,
508th on March 2, 1944 when the regiment was still
at Camp Cromore, Portstewart, Ireland.
He fought in the Normandy and
Holland campaigns and then completed Pathfinder
school in December 1944. That skill was never
used as the 508th went into the Battle of Bulge via
trucks rather than aircraft. |
