Deacon Joseph Raymond Hafemann, a nearly 50-year resident of Fishkill, died at home on September 29, 2024 after a lengthy illness. He was 82.

The son of Louis and Gertrude (Dam) Hafemann, Joe was born in Yonkers on August 14, 1942. He attended St. Denis School and Sacred Heart High School. Following graduation, he entered the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, where he took the religious name Thomas More. He graduated from St. Anthony College in Hudson, NH in 1964. Having further discerned his vocation, Joe eventually left the Capuchins and began an almost thirty-year career with the Westchester County Probation Department, from which he retired in 1995.

In 1983, Joe was accepted as a candidate in the Permanent Diaconate Formation Program of the Archdiocese of New York. He was ordained a deacon by John Cardinal O'Connor at St. Patrick's Cathedral on May 24, 1986. He served for ten years at St. Joachim's Church in Beacon, and was later reassigned to his home parish, St. Mary, Mother of the Church in Fishkill. He was a Third Order Franciscan, and was a committed member of the Cursillo Movement, having served as a spiritual director.

Joe married Janet Burckhardt at St. Patrick's Church in Yorktown Heights on May 22, 1971; she survives him at home. In addition, he is survived by three children: Rev. George Hafemann of Goshen; Mary Hafemann of Westwood, NJ; and Paul Hafemann of Fishkill; a grandson, Brayden Hafemann; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brothers, Louis and Edward, and a nephew, Raymond Hafemann.

Family and friends may call at the McHoul Funeral Home of Fishkill, Inc., 1089 Main Street in Fishkill, on Thursday, October 3, 2024 from 4:00 to 8:00pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, October 4, 2024 at 11:00am at St. Mary, Mother of the Church, 106 Jackson Street in Fishkill. Burial will follow at Fishkill Rural Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial donations to Hudson Valley Hospice, 374 Violet Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 (www.hvhospice.org), or John S. Burke Catholic High School, 80 Fletcher Street, Goshen, NY 10924 (www.burkecatholic.com).

For online tributes, visit www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.