Joseph F. Szabo, of Munster, Ind., and formerly of Riverdale, Ill., a retired member of Local 1299 (Chicago, Ill.) passed away Friday, June 12, 2020.
But it was the camaraderie of railroading he loved and he remained close with former co-workers in retirement, particularly through the Dolton Elks.
Joseph was an avid lover of his afternoon martini, Big Band music and dancing, and his Chicago sports. He had a lifelong passion for the Chicago Cubs and loved taking his family to Wrigley Field. As an uncle, he was very close with his nieces, nephews and their families, and loved large family gatherings where he shared love, wisdom, stories and his wonderful sense of humor.
In retirement he served as a volunteer tax preparer for AARP, a volunteer Village Inspector in Riverdale, Ill., as a member of the Chicago South Suburban Mass Transit District Board and as chaplain for the Dolton Elks. Active in community theater earlier in his life, he enjoyed singing in the chorus at the Hartsfield Village Retirement Community.
He is survived by his loving children, Jo Carol (Thomas, dec) Clark, Susan (Richard) Stables, Peggy Szabo, former Federal Railroad Administrator and Illinois State Legislative Director Joseph C. Szabo (Local 120, Chicago, Ill.) and Clark (Diana) Szabo; and his precious grandchildren Carly Szabo, Megan Stables, Tori Szabo and Natalie Szabo.
Brother Szabo was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, Shirley; sisters Margaret Barber and Rose Stapleton; and his parents, Joseph and Theresia Szabo, who emigrated from Burgenland, Austria.
A funeral service will be held 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 16 at Solan Pruzin Funeral Home, 14 Kennedy Ave., Schererville, Ind. Friends may visit with the family 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of the Calumet Area or the Chicago Lighthouse.
SMART Transportation Division offers its sincere condolences to Brother Szabo’s family, his friends, Local 1299 and all who knew him.
Tag: Joseph Szabo
WASHINGTON — The nation’s top railroad regulator drew withering criticism Tuesday for his agency’s record of safety enforcement against Metro-North Railroad.
The Federal Railroad Administration’s use of its power to fine railroads for safety violations “is a mockery of justice,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal with some heat in an interview after tangling with FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo during a Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee hearing.
Read the complete story at The Connecticut Post.
WILMINGTON, Del. — Amtrak CEO Joseph Boardman, FRA Administrator Joseph Szabo and former BNSF top attorney Jeff Moreland, now an Amtrak board member, were enroute here from Washington Saturday morning for dedication of the new station renamed for Vice President Joe Biden.
They got as far as Baltimore on their first-class passes.
A power problem on the Northeast Corridor stopped all Amtrak trains dependent on the overhead catenary for power.
Fearful they would miss the dedication, they made a call and soon left the train, piling into an automobile quickly provided, and reached Wilmington only a bit late. Biden was patiently awaiting them.
“We would not have gotten off the train if we could have sequenced it faster, but the event would have been over … and that’s the evaluation we made,” Boardman told ABC News.
The news dispatch reported they “were escorted from the coach by security guards and a small entourage of assistants.” ABC News said rental cars were obtained for the entourage.
Biden understood. He said later he had taken more than 7,000 roundtrips between his home in Wilmington and Washington while a U.S. senator; and, yes, not all were on time.
The remaining passengers on the train endured a two-and-a-half hour delay, later attributed to a malfunctioning transformer in Philadelphia.
Boardman used the opportunity to make a pitch for more federal funds for the Northeast Corridor. “If we’re going to really grow the Corridor the way it needs to be grown, we have to substantially increase the amount of power that’s available so that we don’t trip these transformers,” he told ABC News.