Joseph P. "Yoz" Yozwiak, 69, of Shenandoah, passed away peacefully Monday evening at St. Luke's Hospital-Miners Campus, Coaldale.

Born in Wilkes-Barre, Nov. 7, 1946, he was a son of Josephine Matreselva Yozwiak, Wyoming, and the late Joseph T. Yozwiak.

Joe was a graduate of Wyoming High School and was also a graduate of the Pennsylvania State Police Academy, Hershey.

He was a member of the Army National Guard of Pennsylvania.

In July 1971, Joe began his career with the Pennsylvania State Police and throughout the years was stationed in Hamburg, Schuylkill Haven, Jonestown, and retired in July 1996 from the Frackville barracks, where he was stationed for many years. During his tenure he served as a Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshall. After his retirement from the state police, he served as director of security for JMB Ltd., where he retired from in 2012.

He was a member of Divine Mercy Parish, Shenandoah, the Melley Memorial Lodge No. 65, Fraternal Order of Police, the National Troopers Coalition and was a social member of the Polish American Fire Company, Shenandoah.

Yoz was an avid sports fan.

Surviving, in addition to his mother, are his wife of 34 years, Donna Yozwiak; two daughters, Lisa Sajda and her husband, Thomas, Shenandoah, and Shannon Martin and her husband, Kenneth Jr., Saint Clair; five grandchildren, Scott and Alex Sajda, Tanner, Kenneth III and Payton Martin; a sister, Catherine Maheady and her husband, Thomas, Wyoming; aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

A funeral service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday from Walukiewicz-Oravitz Fell Funeral Home, 132 S. Jardin St., Shenandoah. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:15 p.m. Friday at St. Casimir's Church, sacred worship site of Divine Mercy Parish, 229 N. Jardin St., Shenandoah. Monsignor Ronald C. Bocian, pastor, will officiate. Interment with military honors will follow in St. Casimir Cemetery, Shenandoah Heights.

Relatives and friends are invited to call at the funeral home from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Friday morning.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675 or at www.woundedwarriorproject.org and will also be available and accepted at the funeral home.

Walukiewicz-Oravitz Fell Funeral Home, Shenandoah, is in charge of the arrangements.