Dr. Joseph P. Dailey, 79, pharmaceutical researcher, active in the community

Joseph P. Dailey of Juneberry Lane died on Saturday morning, April 6, at Danbury Hospital after being stricken ill at home. He was the husband of Mary E. (Torney) Dailey and was 79.

Dr. Dailey was born in Penfield, IIl., a small rural farming town, Nov. 14, 1922, a son of the late Joseph M. and Ida (Skeffington) Dailey. Dr. Dailey attended local schools and University High School, Champaign, Ill. He then received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Illinois and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind.

Dr. Dailey recently retired from Columbia University where he had been a specialist in pharmaceutical technology, transfer and licensing, a position he held since 1984. He was also involved in new drug research, development, registration and marketing.

A resident of Ridgefield since 1979, coming from Kankakee, Ill., Dr. Dailey was an active member of St. Mary’s Parish, serving as chairman of the Parish Finance Committee. He was also a founding member of the Job Network, which aided middle management professionals in obtaining new
positions upon the loss of positions due to mergers and acquisitions.

Dr. Dailey was a member of the Ridgefield Arts Council, the Ridgefield Men’s Club and a member of the board of directors and former president of the Ridgefield Symphony.

Dr. Dailey was also a member of the Licensing Executives Society, the Royal Society of Medicine, the American Heart Association, the American Chemical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

In addition to his wife of 51 years, he is survived by a daughter, Mary Kay Dailey of Urbana, Ill.; four sons, Thomas Dailey of Hawaii, William Dailey of Parishville, N.Y., John Dailey of Corvallis, Ore., and Joseph Dailey of Boise, Idaho; three sisters, Mary Ellen Higgins of Melbourne, Fla., Anna Rita Locke of Kenosha, Wisc., and Regina Flynn of Baltimore, Md.; 10 grandchildren, Eli, Austin, Meir, Krystle, Kavi, Ashley, Iris, Ahmna, Elan and Luke, as well as several nieces and nephews.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday at St. Mary’s Church, with the Rev. Robert P. Morrissey, pastor, officiating. Burial was in St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary’s Church Building Fund, 183 High Ridge Avenue or to the Ridgefield Symphony, P.O. Box 289, Ridgefield.