Joseph W. Leahy, 93, died Feb. 21 after a lengthy illness.

Born and raised in South Boston, he was a graduate of Dorchester High School for Boys.

Mr. Leahy retired in 1978 as a compensation analyst for the Department of Defense.

As a young man, he was a ship’s electrician at the Charlestown Navy Shipyard. He later was a planner/estimator at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy and a contract administrator for the Department of Defense.

A longtime resident of Milton, he had been a winter resident of St. Pete Beach, Fla., since the mid-1980s. An avid reader, he also enjoyed traveling.

Mr. Leahy liked to joke that his age was “94ish.”

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy M. (Stanley) Leahy; his children, Joseph W. Leahy Jr. and his wife, Jeannette, of Nashville, Tenn., and Fort Myers, Fla., James E. Leahy and his wife, Dianne, of Fredericksburg, Va., and Christopher A. Leahy, of Milton; four granddaughters; and four great-grandchildren.

He was the brother of the late Margaret Leahy, Edward Leahy, John Leahy, Nancy Field and Mary Leahy.

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated in St. Elizabeth Church on Feb. 25. Burial was in Milton Cemetery.

Donations may be made to Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation/Massachusetts Affiliate, 89 South St., Suite 406, Boston, MA 02111.