Bristol Borough mourns Mayor Joseph Saxton, 'a giant in his work'
Members of Goodwill Hose Co. No. 3 called Bristol Borough Mayor Joseph Saxton by the nickname "Sax." He joined the company at age 16. He was one of their own.
Saxton served as president of the fire company, as a Little League coach and had been a member of both the borough council and school board during many years of civic service.
Borough mayor for the past eight years, Saxton was such a community supporter that after he died July 8 at St. Mary Medical Center, an entourage of borough police and firemen brought his body back to his hometown in preparation for his funeral Saturday at St. Mark's Church. He was 72.
At Monday's Borough Council meeting, the mayor's desk was vacant except for flowers sent to borough hall by a restaurateur. Yet Saxton's presence was felt in the many comments from council members and others who knew him well.
Police Chief Joseph Moors said Saxton was on the council when he was hired as a police officer 31 years ago. "He was probably one of the most dedicated and passionate community leaders that I've ever worked with," he said.
Bill Pezza, president of the Bristol civic group Raising the Bar, said "Sax" was not only a government official but a dear friend whose children played with his own kids, including his son, Greg Pezza, who now serves on the borough council. The two families would vacation on Long Beach Island at the same time.
"It was a personal loss," Bill Pezza said. "He was just a giant in his work in all aspects of service to the town. ... Everything he did, he took it to another level."
Saxton was working on a plan to help merge the town's five volunteer fire departments as Bristol, like other municipalities across the state, is facing a shortage of volunteers and consolidating the companies would better help them share resources, Pezza said. "He was unassuming but highly effective," he said of his longtime friend.
A lifelong Bristol resident, Saxton graduated from Bristol High School and worked for 30 years for Rohm and Haas and then 12 years for Arkema Inc. as a training manager at the Bristol plant, according to his obituary on the Wade Funeral Home website. He was also a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) by the International Society for Performance Improvement.
More:Can Bristol Borough get its 'buzz' back?
At Monday's Council meeting, several members eulogized Saxton, including Councilman Louis Quattrocchi, a former schoolmate. They graduated together in the Class of 1967. He listed all the committees and roles Saxton filled, culminating with his becoming mayor.
"Joe loved being mayor of Bristol Borough, a job he served with pride and dignity," Quattrocchi said.
Council President Ralph DiGuiseppe will serve as acting mayor until Aug. 8, when an interim mayor is selected by the council to fulfill the remainder of Saxton's term, ending in January 2024. Candidates who want to run for the office will run in the 2023 municipal primary and general elections.
DiGuiseppe said Saxton really enjoyed being mayor and even when they had differences of opinion, "the friendship never went away ... Joe, we're going to miss you. This town is going to miss you. There's no one who represented the town with class the way you did."
Saxton is survived by his wife, Dottie Bidlingmaier Saxton, his two children and their spouses, Nicole Berdecia and her husband, Hector, and Justin Saxton and his wife, Melissa; and three grandchildren, as well as other relatives.
His funeral Mass was to be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Mark's Church, 1025 Radcliffe St., preceded by a viewing from 8 to 10:45 a.m. at the Wade Funeral Home, 1002 Radcliffe Street, across from the church.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bristol Borough Mayor Joseph Saxton remembered as a tireless "giant'
