Joseph Francis McCann, Jr., age 74, of Wilmington, DE passed away on December 30th at home in the loving arms of his wife. Born in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia in 1946, he was the son of the late Helen Fleming (Gehret) and Joseph Francis McCann, Sr. Joe graduated from Roxborough High School in 1964 where he played baseball all four years. Joe attended Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science, now Thomas Jefferson University, where he played baseball all four years and graduated in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. He enrolled in the U.S. Air Force in 1969, after graduating from Textile and was deployed to Vietnam in 1971, where he served two tours between 1971 to 1973. After returning from Vietnam, he went to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at the Philadelphia VA Regional Office and Insurance Center where he worked for 38 years before retiring as Assistant Director of Insurance in 2011. His career was in service to veterans, and he was a supporter of veterans and veterans' issues throughout his life. In 1987, as the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial was being built, Joe traveled to the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, to help trace the names of Philadelphians who lost their lives during the Vietnam conflict. Those tracings were then ceremoniously walked back to Philadelphia in May 1987, and were interred in the Philadelphia Memorial ( ). While living in Philadelphia, Joe was an active member of the 21st Ward Junior Baseball League where he served on the Board of Directors and coached for many years. He played baseball, basketball, and softball until his knees let him know it was time to stop. After that, he continued to coach softball at the VA, and served as Commissioner of the annual VA Superball inter-office traveling softball tournament for a number of years. Later in life, he loved to play golf with friends and was a member of the Deerfield Golf Club in Newark, DE. Joe also enjoyed the sun and could always be found sitting outside on the deck on nice days. Like everyone, he had his favorite beaches (Playa Carrillo, Costa Rica; Islamorada, FL; Tucker Pond in Warner, NH; and, most especially, at his home in South Bowers Beach, DE), and spent time along the water whenever possible. Joe most enjoyed playing and watching sports; reading military history (in particular, the U.S. Civil War and World War II); cooking spectacular dinners; and spending time with his family and friends at his beach house in South Bowers. Joe was a coach, mentor, and friend to so many people over the years, and will be missed by all who knew him. Joseph is survived by his wife of 29 years, Anneliese "Anne" McCann; his children and their spouses, Kristine McCann and Kevin Harkins and Joseph Charles and Nicole McCann; his grandchildren, Aleksandr Smith Harkins, Maks-Joseph Kirill Harkins, Joseph Charles McCann, Jr., and Reilly Elizabeth McCann; his sisters and brothers-in-law, Barbara and Joseph Callozzo and Helene and Ken Terne. Due to COVID-19, funeral services will be private. A memorial service will be held once we can all safely gather again. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in his name to the Delaware Humane Association (delawarehumane.org), the Fisher House Foundation (fisherhouse.org), or the United Negro College Fund (uncf.org).