Joseph Bachta

Joseph A. (Joe) Bachta, 84, of West Hartford, Conn., died Monday, November 29, 2010, at Hartford Hospital. Joseph was born March 14, 1926, in Auburn, N.Y., son of the late Bernard and Victoria Bachta. He was the beloved husband of Marian (Bielanski) Bachta, "his love" of 61 years. He attended Auburn High School, where he was a four-letterman, and graduated early to serve proudly as an Air Force Cadet in the United States Air Force during World War II. He graduated from Northeastern University in 1951, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. He pursued his passion as one of the greatest engineering minds in structural steel fabrication, first with City Iron Works, then Standard Structural Steel Company, and finally as the proud owner and President of International Bridge and Iron Company. Joseph has left a lasting imprint on the infrastructure of the Northeast, fabricating the structural steel for many of the region's bridges and high rise buildings, including the Gold Star Memorial Bridge from Groton to New London, Dewey Square in Boston, 1177 Avenue of the Americas in New York, and The Bell Atlantic Tower in Philadelphia. Joseph became a Professional Engineer in 1956, was nominated as "Construction Man of the Year" in 1975, and was voted by his peers as a lifetime member of the Society of Professional Engineers in 1992. Joseph was a devout Roman Catholic who saw the good in all people, and with his unfailing optimism he accomplished great things. He gathered his family each year in Hilton Head, for the beach, tennis and golf and to Saratoga and Lake George for the races and fun. He taught them to stick together and to cherish family. He loved his wife, Marian "his angel", his children, and grandchildren. He was husband, dad and dziadzi to them individually, but a hero and an inspiration to them all. His life, his heart, and his soul, will live on in those who loved him so. Joseph is also survived by his three adoring children: daughter, Diane Zalewski and her husband Eddy and their child Sarah and her husband Alok; son, Robert Bachta and his wife Kate and their child Jacob of Jefferson City, Mo.; and daughter, Linda Lough and her husband Dan and their children Kate, Drew, and Ryan. Joseph is also survived by his sister, Mary. Services and burial with military honors were December 3, 2010, in West Hartford, Conn. Arrangements were under direction of Taylor and Modeen Funeral Home in West Hartford, Conn.