Joseph McBride

Joseph Francis McBride 1938 – 2021

Joseph F. McBride, 83, of Laurel Maryland passed away on March 30, 2021. He is remembered as a loving father, grandfather, brother, uncle, coach, and colleague.  In a career that spanned nearly fifty years and served many, he practiced law from his office in Silver Spring, Maryland.  Notably, he tried and won his very first case in 1971 in front of the Court of Appeals of Maryland; a precedent-setting case. He was involved in litigation, arbitration, trial, and real-estate work and represented the paid firefighters (IAFF Local 1619) and police officers of Prince Georges County, MD in legal matters and before the Maryland General Assembly.  In 1990 he established Upper Shore Title in Easton, MD with his sister Mary Bourbon.

Born in Port Chester, NY to parents John McBride and Margaret Sullivan, he was the eighth of ten children. He spent his youth in Bladensburg, MD and attended Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. where he was a member of its first graduating class.  He enlisted in the Navy and served in the Construction Battalion (Seabees) from 1955 to 1959­; building a NASA tracking station in the Bahamas and airstrips in Northern Africa.  He was selected for a Navy scholarship and attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School (Bainbridge).  He attended University of Maryland, College Park and received a Bachelor of Science in Political Science in 1963. He then attended University of Maryland Law School, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in February 1965.  A lifelong Terp fan, he was actively engaged in politics and served as Treasurer for Gladys Spellman who represented Maryland’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He was also active in the community, coaching youth football and leading the Laurel Boys and Girls Club with fellow coaches Dale Teetsell and Alan Stoner. The trio, “Curley, Burley and Baldy” engineered a deal to transfer Old Laurel High School from Prince Georges County for $1 – providing the club a home for its sports programs and long-term financial footing from facility rental income.  The trio later traded in their whistles and opened Snow Kountry, Inc., serving the local snow skiing community with gear, rentals, and packaged ski trips.

He is survived by sisters Anna and Patricia, children Patrick, Cliff, Russell, Catherine, and Calvin, and grandchildren Conor, Vela, Raquel, Sean and Ellie.  He was preceded in death by his son Noel and his first wife Judy. He lived his 30,374 days on earth fully: serving his friends, family, and colleagues.

A celebration of life will be held in August. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E. www.adoptionsupport.org).

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