Joe, the oldest child of the late Len and Peggy Kavalus, grew up in Livingston and graduated from St. Philomena’s School (now Aquinas Academy). Summers were spent working at Becker’s Farm in Roseland as assistant milkman to “Ted the milkman” and as the conductor of the “train ride” at Becker’s Farm. He was also a member of Boy Scout Troop 16 at St. Philomena’s Church, earning the rank of Star Scout.

Joe was a graduate of Essex Catholic High School in Newark. There he played varsity baseball as the catcher and switch hitter. He won many awards for baseball, including All State and All Conference. He was picked up by Montreal Expos baseball scout Honey Russell and attended spring training in Florida with the team; but knee injuries kept him off the final roster.

He continued his education at NCE (Newark College of Engineering, now NJIT) and earned his degree in Civil Engineering. He was a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity at NCE and elected as Sage. His engineering career included Proj ect Manager of building waste water treatment plants around the world including London and Brazil. He finished his engineering career at Ciba Geigy (now Novartis) and retired to Cape May. There he set up Joe’s Woodworking Shop and designed and built many woodworking projects. One of his favorite retirement jobs was as school bus driver, where the children on his bus route wrote a song for him called, “Mr. Joe, Our Bus Driver.”

Besides baseball, Joe was a man of many talents, including an accomplished pianist and carpenter, and there wasn’t a car he couldn’t fix. He was also an avid Beach Boys fan!

Joe was a dedicated member of the Knights of Columbus and belonged to St. Maximillian Kolbe Council #10899; was a Fourth Degree member of Monsignor Moroney Assembly #671; and Cranford Knights of Columbus Council #6226.

Survivors include his former wife, Mary Ellen (Eikamp); his children, Matthew of Toms River, Meghan of Fort Worth, Texas, Michael of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Kaitlyn (Clayton Rickards) of Piscataway; three grandchildren, Clayton Joseph, Summer Ann, and Joseph Clayton Rickards; and his siblings, Mary Ellen Cifelli (Frank), Nancy Garelick (Ira), Barbara, and Peter.

Friends and family are invited to visit on September 5,2023 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Dooley Funeral Home, 218 North Avenue West, Cranford, NJ 07106.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, at 10 a.m. at St. Michael’s Church, 40 Alden Street, Cranford, NJ 07067. Interment will follow at St. Gertrude Cemetery, 53 Inman Avenue, Colonia, NJ 07067.