Joseph B. McGoldrick

Joseph B. McGoldrick of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, son of Joseph McGoldrick and Kathleen Walsh McGoldrick, born on April 20, 1940 died on July 3, 2025. Known to his friends and family as “Josh,” he is survived by his son Joseph (Megan) McGoldrick and granddaughter, Alaina McGoldrick. Josh is also survived by his sister Miriam (George) Hohenleitner, and John (Susan) McGoldrick, several nieces and nephews.

Josh graduated from Our Mother of Consolation school in Chestnut Hill, North Catholic High School, and Villanova University in 1963 with a degree in Philosophy. He earned a Masters Degree from Catholic University.

In the 1970s Josh moved to Central Florida. He taught Biology at Oviedo High School for twenty years, and in retirement he taught Biology at several Florida business and vocational colleges. His students remember him for his creative and personal teaching methods. For example, to teach how DNA works, he’d assign each student a chromosome and have them join hands to demonstrate how the helix form. Students who struggled with science appreciated his ability to make difficult concepts accessible.

Josh is fondly remembered for his easygoing personality, his signature red “Herbie” beetle car, his love of the beach, whether it was Sea Isle City or Cocoa Beach, his fondness for swimming, seafood, Phillies baseball, and Villanova basketball. He enjoyed reading Seamus Heaney, Frank McCourt, and other Irish writers, and remained proud of his Irish heritage throughout his life. He wrote stories for his granddaughter, and also reflective essays and memoirs. No one was a stranger to Josh. He could talk to anyone and made friends everywhere he went. He fished and camped with the scouts when his son was young, and was a proud Air Force dad when Joe served in the US Air Force in South Korea and in various places in the US.

Funeral Mass will be held at Our Mother of Consolation Church in Chestnut Hill at 9:30 am. To honor Josh’s memory, donations can be made to Our Mother of Consolation School.