Joseph H. Muck

Class of 1989

Joe was born in 1938 to Joseph and Blanche, in Pittsburgh, PA. He attended St. Martin’s and St. Philip’s grade schools in Pittsburgh and graduated from Crafton High School in 1956.

While attending the University of Pittsburgh, Joe was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1961, where he served in the Medical Corps at Ft. Benning, GA. He met and married Barbara in 1962 while serving.

Joe and Barbara have three sons, Joseph IV, Thomas and Dusty and six grandchildren.

He began his candy industry career in 1966 with Luden’s Inc. working as an entry-level merchandiser. Joe was promoted to account manager of the supermarket division, calling on all grocery, drug and mass retail accounts headquartered in western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Joe became division sales manager in 1979, supervising the company’s direct sales force and brokers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. In 1980, he rose to regional manager for the Southeast, working with the direct sales force and brokers responsible for all accounts in the territory. Joe accepted a position as national sales manager in 1984, and moved to the company’s home office in Reading, PA, responsible for direct sales, marketing sales and the broker sales force for the entire U.S.

When The Hershey Co. purchased Luden’s in 1986, Joe joined Farley Candy Co. as vice-president of grocery sales.

He moved to Timberline/Trolli Inc. importers of gummi products, as eastern region sales manager, in charge of sales and distribution of Trolli products in all classes of trade east of the Mississippi River.

In 1992, Joe joined Lindt & Sprngli USA, Inc. as southeast regional manager. He worked with brokers and was responsible for sales in all classes of trade. Because of illness, he retired from Lindt, but after a few years of rehabilitation he returned to the company as a consultant, working with military exchanges and commissaries in the U.S. and overseas.

Joe retired again in October 2008 from Lindt and in March 2009 he was hired by Godiva Chocolate Co. to consult on the military trade.

In his spare time, Joe participates in many organizations, including the Pittsburgh Explorer Club and the Catholic Men’s Club. He is also a Eucharistic minister and altar server.

Joe passed away on September 21, 2021 and was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Barbara.