Saturday
June 29, 2024 
Many Bucks County residents visit Lake Galena every morning, whether it be for a jog, a dog walk, a bike ride or a day out with the family. Adding to the beauty of the park in New Britain Township is the joy that Joel Occhiuzzo spreads on a daily basis.
Occhiuzzo, 92, has lived many lives — drummer, entrepreneur, Korean War veteran — and has many stories to tell.
Lately, he has become a staple at Peace Valley.
Walking toward the dam side of the lake, visitors first notice his bright, welcoming smile and his many bags of dog treats.
Occhiuzzo goes to the lake every day around 6 a.m. to meet and greet the many dogs (and humans) that have come to adore him.
“People call me the mayor or the general,” he said on a recent morning spent handing out stickers to children and treats to dogs. “I think they like to tease me.”
Occhiuzzo got his start a few years ago during the park’s “Dog Day.” One of his friends, Ranee, along with her dog, Maddie, influenced him to start giving out dog treats.
“Ranee said, ‘You oughta treat the dogs,’ so I ran to Giant, got some treats, and she said, ‘You’ve got to keep doing this!’”
Ranee and her husband, Ed, have helped Occhiuzzo along his journey, bringing umbrellas and other supplies to protect him from the sun.
Ever since that day, he has consistently been at the park every morning, except for bad weather days. He looks forward to the connections he makes with both people and their dogs.
“I enjoy the kids” he said, “even in a carriage they still high five me.”
The dogs, he added, have come to expect him and will run right over the minute they see him for their treats.
“It’s hard not to have a whole lot of friends here,” Occhiuzzo said.
When he was around 20 years old, he was drafted into the Korean War. He was initially told he was only going to be in the band. After his eight weeks of basic training, though, he was handed a gun and shipped to Korea to serve on the front lines.
“I was scared,” he said.
Occhiuzzo didn’t feel prepared to be sent into combat, especially when it wasn’t what he expected.
In Korea, he said, he met Dick Contino, a famous accordion player and singer, and eventually became his drummer while they served together.
Back home, he eventually started his own band called “Joel Grey and the Gyros,” he said. It toured around for years before he retired to his wife and two children.
“Most of my life I did for children,” Occhiuzzo said. He added he volunteered in many children’s homes and schools, and often played his music for them. He takes pride in what he said he has done to help children have happier days.
He settled in Richardson, Tex., where he owned the Holiday Express Riding Train, which he said he mostly built by himself and ran for more than 15 years before he had to shut it down. He was known as the “Trainman” by many Texas residents, giving free rides on the train to children between Thanksgiving and Christmas every year.
He lived in Richardson for 46 years but would visit his family in Pennsylvania often. When his wife died three years ago, he came up to Bucks County to live in the Doylestown area with his daughter, and to be closer to his grandchildren and great grandchildren.
People often offer to donate to his cause or buy him more dog treats. He wishes instead for that money to go to their church, or something else that will make a difference. Occhiuzzo said he supports Animals In Distress in Coopersburg, a no-kill shelter that prides itself in putting the money it receives back into its animals.
Occhiuzzo has a huge heart for animals and people alike. Each morning, he displays it on the trails of Peace Valley Park.
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