Joseph McKiernan passed away peacefully into eternal life in the arms of God on April 1, 2022. He was born in St. Elizabeth's Hospital in the Bronx to Charles and Frances McKiernan on March 21, 1934. Joseph recently celebrated his 88th birthday surrounded by his loving children and grandchildren.

At 16, he studied at Marist as a novitiate in what started as a seminary for the training of future Marist brothers. While there, he was proud to be a part of a team of brothers who built the chapel that still stands on the grounds of Marist College today.

Following college, Joseph started his first teaching job at Central Catholic in Lawrence, MA. He then went on to teach at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie, NY, but it wasn't until he started teaching at Harrison High School that he would meet the love of his life, Marie McKiernan. She asked him out in the hallway and, less than a year later, they were married. They moved to Tappan in 1966 and raised two boys in their lifelong home.

Joseph spent most of his career at Harrison High School, where he taught History and Economics courses. He was also the Yearbook Advisor for many years, and the yearbook received many awards during his tenure. He was very involved in New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) and worked tirelessly for fair working conditions and salaries for teachers. In his retirement speech, however, he spoke about how Harrison High School had given him his greatest gift—his beautiful wife, Marie.

Joseph was an active member of his community. He was a lifelong parishioner of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish, where he served as an usher. He was also the past president of the Piermont Seniors Club.

He loved bowling, watching the Yankees, and reading history books. Most of all, he loved to tend to his garden, and he would happily share his harvest with friends and family.

Joseph is survived by his wife of almost 57 years, Marie; son Joseph and his wife Michele and their children TJ, Kayla, Cristina, and John; and son Michael and his wife Kati and their sons Charlie and Hudson. He was predeceased by his brother James and his sister Mary. His family was a great source of pride and joy for him.

A Funeral Mass will be held Wednesday, April 6th, 10:30am, at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Tappan with burial to follow at Ascension Cemetery in Airmont. Visiting hours will be Tuesday, April 5th, 3-8pm at the Moritz Funeral Home in Tappan.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either St. Jude's Children's Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/give.html) or Marist Brothers (https://www.maristbr.com), as both were very close to his heart.