Manville, NJ- Joseph Stephen "Joe" Roborecky, 80, of Manville, NJ, entered into eternal life on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at home. Born on March 21, 1944 in Brooklyn, NY, the only child (son) of the late Joseph and Stella (nee Sokol) Roborecky, he was raised and lived in Brooklyn until he moved to Manville in 1983.

As a young child, Joe loved his Lionel trains; those early years as a young engineer on the "Lionel Lines" foreshadowing and shaping his career choices later in life. He also enjoyed going camping with his family at Sunken Meadow State Park, in New York.

In 1964, Mr. Roborecky joined the US Army. After completing his basic training at Fort Dix, in New Jersey, he served as an Armor Crewman with Company E, 40th Armor, Berlin Brigade, Berlin Command, in West Berlin, Germany; which was the only US armored unit stationed behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War, some 110 miles inside of Soviet-occupied East Germany.  Due to his service to his nation, places like "Checkpoint Charlie", and the Berlin Wall, were very real to Joe and his fellow soldiers.  For those that served in Berlin, it was obvious just how easily the Cold War could turn "hot" at moment's notice.

In 1968, Joe returned home to Brooklyn, NY, and hired on with the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal Railroad ("BEDT") in New York City as a locomotive engineer.  He also took on various leadership roles within the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers ("BLE"), one of the labor unions that represented the employees of BEDT.  He eventually became the General Chairman of his BLE local.

In the 1970's, the national railroad network underwent substantial changes, especially in the northeast United States.  When the New York Dock Railway sought regulatory approval from the Interstate Commerce Commission ("ICC") to acquire the BEDT, Joe was one of the key labor leaders that fought hard to protect the interests of those employees that would be adversely impacted by the merger.

Through Joe's efforts (along with a few others), the Federal regulators at the ICC imposed what became known as the landmark "New York Dock" labor protection provisions upon the merging parties. Nearly 50 years later, the New York Dock case is still cited, and used, as precedent in many railroad merger proceedings to this day. Many fellow railroad workers throughout the country have long-benefited from Joe's hard work and effort so many years ago!

As rail freight traffic around New York City continued to decline and shift due to the deregulation that occurred in the rail industry in the early 1980's, Joe elected to move to Manville, NJ, in 1983 and took a position in the then-new rail operations department at New Jersey Transit. Forever a union man, he once again joined, and proudly served in, BLE Local 373, one of the many unions which represent NJ Transit's unionized labor force. After 40 years on the railroad, Joe retired from NJ Transit in 2009.  For most of his career at NJ Transit, Joe worked at the rail yard in Raritan, NJ. A dedicated member of the BLE all his life, Joe remained a union member until his passing.

In retirement, Joe spent much of his time working with his long-time friend, Philip Goldstein, on creating a comprehensive online resource (a website) dedicated to documenting and preserving the history of the operations, property, equipment, and personnel of the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal RR, as well as some of the other waterfront terminal railroads that dotted the shorelines of the Hudson and East Rivers in New York City.  Joe's memoirs, Phil's interviews of Joe, and Joe's other significant contributions to the effort will help to the preserve those unique aspects of railroad history for generations to come.

While Joe's parent's pre-deceased him, he is survived by many cousins, including; Patricia Zielinski of Southampton, MA; Vera Roth of North Haledon, NJ; Joan Roberts, Barbara Roberts, and Caroline Roberts, all of New York; and Christopher Sokol of Klamath Falls, OR.

Family and friends are invited to attend a viewing at Fucillo & Warren Funeral Home, 205 South Main Street, Manville, NJ 08835 on Sunday, March 23, 2025 from 1-4 p.m. and on Monday, March 24 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Funeral services will begin 12 p.m. at the funeral home followed by military honors at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, 830 Highland Road, Newtown, PA, 18940.

To send condolences to the family, share photographs, or light a candle, please visit www.FucilloandWarrenFuneralHome.com.