Passing of a Bookseller

I subscribe to several listservs. By reading these, one may get a hint of the poster's true personality. Some posters appear obnoxious while others seem extremely charming. Under the former category falls a true gentleman I only knew by his sig line: "e-gards, joe," I haven't seen anything written by him in quite a while and learned today that "e-gards, joe," aka Joseph Oprisch, has left this earthly plane. He will be missed not only by those who knew him personally, but also by those of us who knew of him via the internet.

OPRISCH, JOSEPH LEO - Joseph Leo Oprisch, age 80, beloved husband of Mary Ann Daniel Oprisch, died January 2, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia after a brief illness. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio to Victor Joseph Oprisch and Louise Gehlert Oprisch. He earned degrees in Electrical Engineering from Ohio State University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and Sigma Xi honorary fraternities. He worked for 39 years for General Electric, beginning with assignments in engineering, computer sciences and marketing in the Power Transformer Department in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Later he served in the General Electric Strategic Planning and Corporate Business Development and Planning as a Staff Associate in New York City and Fairfield, Connecticut. He retired in 1987. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army in Indiana, Texas and Oregon, followed by service with the Alaska Communication Service in Nome, Alaska. He has held memberships in the Serra Club, the Holy Name Society, The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, and was a member of the Institute for Retired Professionals at Fairfield University. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children:Connie Oprisch of Gaithersburg, Maryland; Robert Oprisch of Germantown, Maryland, Nancy Oprisch Ewing and her husband James of Atlanta, Georgia, and Mark Oprisch and his wife Brenda of Decatur, Georgia. He is also survived by five grandchildren: Allison and Jennifer Ewing, and Laura, Augustine and Theodora Oprisch, all of Atlanta. Other survivors are his sisters Louise Locke of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dottie Harasick of Glendale, Claifornia, Elizabeth Owens of Steubenville, Ohio, and his brother Carl Oprisch of Toronto, Ohio. He was a shining example of how to walk with God and live one's life the right way, and we will miss him greatly. He was predeceased by his sisters, Helen, Cornelia Alvis, and Marie Bucher, and his brother Herman. Funeral Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 5, 2007, at Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta. Visitation will be Thursday, January 4, 2007 at 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Spring Hill. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Inner City Foundation for Charity and Education, 238 Jewett avenue, Bridgeport, Connecticut, 06606 (203) 416-1495). Arrangements by H.M Patterson and Son Spring Hill Chapel, 1020 Spring St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, (404) 876-1022

Published: Friday, January 5th, 2007 in the Journal News.