By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
BALTIMORE - Father Joseph Tyson, a Josephite priest, died March 15 at the age of 85 in St. Joseph Manor in Baltimore, Maryland. Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO Father Joseph Tyson, SSJ died March 15. He served in the Archdiocese of Miami from 1970 to 1980.
As a member of the Josephites, who dedicate themselves to service and evangelization to African-American communities throughout the U.S., Father Tyson served as pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish in Miami in 1970. He taught at Archbishop Curley High School from 1972 to 1979.
In 1974, he also worked at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Miami, and was associate pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Parish, also in Miami, in 1975. Later, in 1980, he worked at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Parish in Fort Lauderdale, and served as associate pastor of St. Malachy Parish in Tamarac.
An amateur historian, Father Tyson was particularly interested in the battles of World War II, especially the Normandy invasion and subsequent battles throughout Europe. He took several tours of the battle fields and military cemeteries with groups of veterans, including General Westmorland. He often spoke of those battles, the struggles of our troops, the casualties and losses.
In 1972, Father Tyson was Director of the Josephite Committee on Formation, choosing Xavier University in Louisiana for Josephite college level programs.
Joseph Vincent Tyson was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania on September 21, 1925, the fourth of six children of Walter Tyson and Matilda Nerz Tyson. He is survived by brothers Harry and Walter, and sister Eleanor McNelis Tyson Laun.
Father Tyson was educated in Philadelphia at Immaculate Conception School and Northeast Catholic High School. He attended St. Joseph College in Princeton, New Jersey and St. Vincent Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He gained permanent membership in the Josephites in 1954 and was ordained to the priesthood on June 4, 1955. His education included a BA in Philosophy and Education from St. Joseph Seminary and an MS from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.
In 2006, he retired to St. Joseph Manor, a retirement and recuperation facility for the Josephite Fathers and Brothers. Father Tyson was interred in New Cathedral Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland March 22.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Josephites, 1130 N. Calvert St. Baltimore, MD 21202.
