Joseph Earl Hutchinson, 90

WILMINGTON - Funeral services for Joseph Earl Hutchinson, 90, of Highfield, The Masonic Home of Delaware in Wilmington, and formerly of Dover, will be held 1 p.m., Thursday, May 28, at Trader Funeral Home, Dover, where friends may call from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. before the service. Mr. Hutchinson died Monday, May 18, 2009, at Highfield. Mr. Hutchinson was born Nov. 8, 1918, in LeRoy, N.Y., one of twelve children born to Edwin and Maude Bater Hutchinson. He began his career as an employee of Davy Tree Expert Co., which took him all around the east coast. After he married Elaine Adriance on Aug. 21, 1943, he settled in LeRoy to work for General Foods Inc. Mr. Hutchinson moved to Dover with General Foods in 1964 and retired in 1981. He lived in Palmetto, Fla. from his retirement until 1997, when he returned to the Dover area. Finally he moved to Highfield in 2003. To all who knew him, Mr. Hutchinson was the true image of a Christian man. He was kind, generous, and faithful to friends and strangers alike. In the wake of Hurricane Andrew, he joined a group of men from his church to rebuild homes in the worst-hit areas of southern Florida. Later, he traveled to Peru to help his eldest granddaughter's family build a camp for their mission. Mr. Hutchinson was a gifted carpenter and spent much of his life building things for family, friends, and churches. Though he could not carry a tune, one of his greatest joys was hearing his family sing hymns. In addition to his wife, Mr. Hutchinson was preceded in death by several sisters and brothers. He is survived by his four daughters and sons-in-law: Nancy and John Landino of Payson, Ariz.; Norma and Daniel Gill of McSherrystown, Pa.; Jane and Douglas Grudzina of Dover; and Kay and Dean Hampson of Middletown; 10 grandchildren and two grandsons-in-law, Aimee and John Stiles of Hanover, Pa.; Joyce and Patrick Mulrooney of Newark; Rebecca Grudzina of Pelham, NY; Amanda Grudzina of Dover; Daniel Hampson of Milikani, Hawaii; Mary, Esther, Isaac, David, and Sharon Hampson, all of Middletown; four step-granddaughters and their families; four great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; three sisters, Betty Trim, Emily Vandersteur, and Esther Feige; and two brothers, Carl and Robert Hutchinson. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Highfield, the Masonic Home of Delaware, 4800 Lancaster Pike, Wilmington, DE 19807. Burial will be in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Camden. Letters of condolences may be sent to www.delmarvaobits.com or traderfh@aol.com. Arrangements were by Trader Funeral Home, Dover.