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First Posted: 3/6/2014 Patrick M. Bilbow of Avoca has been selected as toastmaster for the 100th Annual St. Patrick&#8217;s Day Banquet held by the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, organization President Ed Hart announced.
Joseph J. Joyce Jr. of Hughestown will receive the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Achievement Award.
Bilbow was born in Pittston and is the son of the late Robert and Doris Bilbow. He has four sisters, Kathleen, Jean, Doris, and Rose, and a brother, Bobby.
Bilbow grew up in the Pine Street area of South Pittston and currently resides in Avoca, with his wife Kim. They are the proud parents of three boys: Ciar&#225;n Patrick, 8, Brady Quinn, 6, and Reilly Robert, 3.
His father-in-law is Gene Philbin of West Avoca.
Bilbow is a graduate of Pittston Area High School. He received a bachelor of arts degree in political science and secondary education with comprehensive certification in social studies. He earned a master&#8217;s degree in educational leadership from Wilkes University with a K-12 principal certification.
Bilbow has been employed as educator in the Delaware Valley School District in Milford, Tunkhannock Area School District and is currently employed by the Pittston Area School District.
He has also been actively involved in the schools he has been employed at as a football, basketball, and track & field coach. He currently is the coach of a kindergarten/first grade basketball team and a second/third grade team in the Avoca Basketball League. In 2004 while teaching social studies and technology at Pittston Area High School, Bilbow was honored as the Walmart Teacher of the Year.
He is currently the principal of the Martin L. Mattei Middle School.
Bilbow is a former member of the Pittston Area Federation of Teachers &#8211; Local 1590/AFL-CIO and is currently a member of the Pennsylvania and National Associations of Elementary and Secondary School Principals. He is also a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum.
Bilbow is a past president of the Avoca Ancient Order of Hibernians &#8211; Neil McLaughlin Division and was selected as the organization&#8217;s Man of the Year in 2001. He is also a past president of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. He was the organization&#8217;s Man of the Year in 2012.
Bilbow and his family are members of Queen of the Apostles Parish in Avoca.
Joyce, the vice president of commercial lines at Joyce Insurance Group, is a graduate of the former St. John&#8217;s High School, Pittston, and Luzerne County Community College. He attended Bloomsburg University majoring in business education and accounting.
In 1989, Joyce became licensed in Property and Casualty, Life, Accident and Health insurance and joined Joyce Insurance Group.
He focuses his efforts on commercial insurance, overseeing the Commercial Lines Division and company-to-agency relations. He specializes in government and self funded entities.
Joyce is a member of St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church Pittston, the Jolly Boys Association of Avoca, the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce, the Avoca Lions Club, where he served as secretary to the Board of Directors and the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick where he served as president and treasurer.
Among his accomplishments, Joyce was the 2012 recipient of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Swingle Award where he was honored for assisting and giving back to the community in which he lives.
Joyce resides in Hughestown with his wife, the former Ann Marie Just. They have five children, Joseph, John, Brent, Kahli and Aidan. They are also grandparents of four grandchildren, Annabell, Joey, Adiline and Remy Mac Joyce.
The Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Day Banquet will be held at the Woodlands Inn and Resort on Rt. 315 in Plains on Monday, March 17. Ticket prices are $75 per person and $50 for guests under the age of 21. Tickets can be purchased from any active member of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick or at the Knights of Columbus on Main Street in Pittston every Wednesday night until the night of the Banquet. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

Friendly Sons select Bilbow as toastmaster