DATE: Wednesday, October 22, 1997           TAG: 9710220455

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   32 lines

JOSEPH A. MAOSHA

Joseph Anthony Maosha died Oct. 21, 1997.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Helen MacDiarmid Maosha; a sister, Adele M. Knaysi; two daughters, Karen M. Norris and her husband, Vernon, Catherine M. Hoffman and her husband, Walter, of Virginia Beach; two sons, Joseph A. Maosha Jr. and his wife, Melinda, Paul R. Maosha; eight grandchildren, Christian, Andrew and Mathew Norris, Helen Weston and Margaret Stuart Maosha, Catherine Peyton, Elizabeth Powell and Walter Hoffman III of Virginia Beach; three nephews, Dr. George, Edmund and Dr. Fred Knaysi.

Mr. Maosha was born in Petersburg, Va., on Nov. 9, 1914. His career in the dry cleaning business began with the purchase of Sunshine Cleaners in Petersburg in 1941. He subsequently opened Master Cleaners before moving to Richmond in 1949 where he founded Westwood Cleaners, Tuckahoe Cleaners, Willow Lawn Cleaners, Westwood Azalea Cleaners and Westwood Cleaners in Portsmouth. He was a pioneer in establishing the now common practice of having a central main plant with satellite branch stores. His career spanned more than 50 years.

A Christian wake service will be held at 7 p.m. today in Bliley Funeral Home, Central Chapel, Richmond, where family will receive friends from 6 to 9 p.m. A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated in St. Benedicts Catholic Church at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Private interment will be in Hollywood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers the family requests contributions be made to St. Benedict's Catholic Church or Belmont Abbey, Belmont, N.C., or a charity of choice. KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY

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