Joseph W. Strong Sr.

Joseph Wilbur Strong, Sr. of Chestertown, Maryland died on July 9, 2005 at Christiana Hospital in Delaware. He was 83. Born on October 21, 1921 in Chestertown, Maryland, he was the son of the late, James Edgar Sr. and Hester Long Strong. He was a 1938 graduate of Rock Hall High School and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in Pensacola, Florida where he received flight training. He served during WWII stateside as a lieutenant, flying out of Cape May, New Jersey. He returned to Chestertown, Maryland where he married Florence Walls on October 23, 1943. Mr. Strong owned and operated C.W. Kiblers and Sons Inc., a grain/ fertilizer/ lime/seed and coal business from 1951 until 1974. He also owned and operated Kiblers Marina from 1959 until 1995, and the Old Wharf Inn from 1975 until 1985. He retired in 1995. Mr. Strong enjoyed traveling with his wife and spending time at their beach home in Rehobeth Beach, Delaware. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, golf, and his family. He was a member of Rock Hall Yacht Club, Chester River Yacht and Country Club, and Old St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Kent. He served as Kent County Commissioner in 1963 and in 1964 and on the Board of Directors of Chesapeake Bank and Trust. Mr. Strong was also a member of the Chestertown Cruising Club and Fairlee Men’s Club. His wife predeceased him on November 12, 2004. Mr. Strong is survived by a daughter, Diana Strong Williams of Chestertown, MD; a son, Joseph W. Strong, Jr. of Dover, DE; grandchildren, Julie Kennedy, Richard J. Strong, Susan Emeigh, Jessie-Lee Williams, Natalie V. Williams and great grandchildren, Matthew, Brandon, Austin, Seth, Dylan and Madison. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 15, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Kent in Chestertown, Maryland. Relatives and friends may call on Thursday, July 14, 2005 between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 P.M. at Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, 130 Speer Road Chestertown, Maryland. Interment will be in St. Paul’s Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Chester River Hospital Center, 100 Brown Street, Chestertown, Maryland 21620 or to the American Heart Association, 200 East Main Street, Salisbury, MD 21801.