Obituary of Michael Joseph Peach III

Colonel Michael Joseph Peach, III, 83, of Morgantown, WV, passed away Sunday, September 20, 2020. He was born in Albany, GA on October 7, 1936, the son of the late Michael Joseph Peach Jr. and the late Maudine (Brogdon) Sims. He graduated from Georgia Military College where he played football and received his B.S. Entomology. He received his M.S. Entomology from Mississippi State University, his M.P.H. Industrial Hygiene and Occupational Health from University of Minnesota, and his Ph.D. in Engineering from WVU. He became a true Mountaineer upon moving to West Virginia. Joe (Mike) was a devout Christian and a true patriot. He served, fought, and sacrificed much for the greater good of his country. He not only served in the Army, but also the US Air Force, and the US Public Health Service Commissioned Core/NIOSH. He received many awards over the years for his service, including the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, RVN Campaign Medal. Joe was stationed in Landstühl Germany in the 70’s, and enjoyed traveling through Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, collecting cuckoo clocks and going to beer festivals. He also traveled through Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and all through the US. Joe was good with his hands and could build or fix about anything that he needed. He also enjoyed playing guitar in his free time. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, June (Hughes) Peach; one daughter, Jodye (Peach) Hall and her husband, Trev; and granddaughters, Emma Hall and Mary Grace Hall. Education, particularly for girls, was very important to Joe. It was his wish that charitable contributions be made to the Sacred Valley Project Girls School, a non-profit dedicated to providing education for teenage girls in rural Andean communities, in lieu of flowers. If you wish to donate, please use one of these two methods. Visit www.givebutter.com/SVP, and click “Donate”, select an amount, then click “Continue.” Please add “In Memory of Joe Peach.”. You can also donate at www.sacredvalleyproject.org/donate. Send condolences online at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com.