Joe Waters remembered for serving community

WEST GOSHEN » Joe Waters, longtime Chester County Domestic Relations Office Director, member and chairman of the township park and recreation board and even portrayer of Santa Claus, passed away June 18, at the age of 64.

Waters served the citizens of Chester County for almost 41 years, 30 of them as director the Domestic Relations Office. He was also a long-time board member of the Domestic Relations Association of Pennsylvania, where he served as president and chaired

more committees than any other member.

Waters implemented Child Support Awareness Day in the state and instituted the Joint Family Law Conference, which was recently named after him.

Robin Kelly is director of the Domestic Relations Department and worked with Waters for decades. Many of the department’s workers are long-time staffers.

“Joe made it an environment where everybody loved to stay,” Kelly said. “They loved the way he ran the show here.

“He made you comfortable and led the way in anything you were facing.”

Kelly said that Waters “left his mark” on how the department does business and helps families.

“A day doesn’t pass when we’re not reminded of Joe and the way he helped develop the child support program and the way he helped the families of Chester County,” she said.

With her husband, 40year wife Therese Waters, proudly raised two daughters, Patricia Hennessy and Colleen Waters. Waters has two grandchildren, Timmy and Logan Hennessy.

Therese Waters most remembers her husband’s smile and that “he loved life.”

“Every day was just a great day,” she said about her spouse. “He looked forward to every day.”

Waters was a strong advocate for township public events and activities and hosted six concerts per year, including with the Grease Band and U.S. Navy Jazz Band.

Waters was a founding member of the township’s Friends of the Parks and instrumental in creation of the West Goshen Community Park.

Ken Lehr is West Goshen Township’s Parks and Recreation Director and started working with Waters during the 1980s.

For Lehr’s second day on the job, Waters invited the new hire to lunch.

“Joe made sure that I felt welcome and informed about the workings of the park and recreation board,” Lehr said. “He was genuinely and universally respected and admired.”

Waters got along with everybody.

“He was a very friendly and outgoing person and everyone liked dealing with Joe,” Lehr said. “He had no personal agenda except serving the residents of West Goshen Township.”

The Honorable Judge Katherine Platt worked closely with Waters.

“As administrative Family Court Judge, it was always my pleasure to work with him,” Platt said. “He understood the sometimes competing interests of litigants, lawyers, judges and commissioners, and managed to make sure that DRO delivered efficient origination and enforcement of support orders for the benefit of Chester County children.

“Despite not being a lawyer, he was encyclopedic in his knowledge of support law, regulations and enabling legislation from the federal to the local. Yet his approach was anything but academic — it was always practical (legal, but practical) and that’s why it we were able to work so smoothly together.

Thousands of children sat on Santa’s lap and if they tested Waters’ beard they found out that the gray hair was real. In the early years he wore a fake beard but when he went gray, he started growing the beard annually in August.

“He looked forward to (Christmas) every year,” Therese Waters said. “He studied the toy ads and he talked to his grandsons and nieces and nephews to learn about the toys so he’d know what kids were talking about when they asked for toys from Santa.”

“Santa” was busy over the holidays. He visited Mother of Providence Regional Catholic Church, Ss. Simon and Jude Church, West Goshen Township, Friends Association in West Chester, the Domestic Relations Office and at other events.

Therese said her husband was proud when his grandson Timmy took on the role of one of Santa’s elves.

“He was fantastic and absolutely loved that role as Santa Claus,” Lehr said.

“Christmas makes you think of Joe,” Kelly said.