Joseph Peng, aged 86, passed away peacefully on July 27, 2026, at Georgetown University Hospital, surrounded by his family. Born on June 19, 1940, in Chengdu, China, Joseph came to the United States in 1968 to pursue the opportunity and wealth promised by his father. This promise inspired him to achieve many great things. He was a pillar of support for his family's immigration to the United States, assisting his siblings, cousins, and mother.

Mr. Peng's career began as an engineer at McDonald Douglass and Martin Marietta, where he worked on the development of the external fuel tank for the Space Shuttle. In 1977, he joined the United States Postal Service. There, he elevated the status of U.S. stamps and continuously pushed the technological limits of stamps, including self-adhesive stamps, ATM stamps, and holographic stamps, while also overseeing stamp printing. He was responsible for the stamp content, ensuring that the paper, adhesives, and inks met food safety standards. His work in adhesive stamps earned him the White House Closing the Circle award in 2000 for making the process "Environmentally Benign."

Later, Mr. Peng led stamp issuance projects, launching a series of new stamps, including a set of Chinese Zodiac stamps themed around the twelve zodiac animals and their corresponding years. In addition, he spearheaded the production of the first joint stamp issued by the United States and China, featuring two endangered crane species—the whooper crane of North America and the black-necked crane of China—symbolizing the friendship between the two countries and wildlife conservation. In his spare time, he pursued further education, earning a Master of Engineering degree.

In 1969, Mr. Peng met his wife, Alice, at a party at Disneyland, and they married that same year. They had two children, Marcus and Margaret, and settled in Rockville in 1977. He loved life, especially his family, always finding ways to pamper his seven grandchildren and Margaret's beloved dog. He left behind a wife, children, siblings: Willie, Martin, John, Wendell, and Tony; and his grandchildren: Allison, Joseph, Matthew, John, Elizabeth, Sophia, and Andrew.

A memorial service is pending. In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations may be made to Montgomery County’s Manna Food Center or your cherished charity.

----------------------------

彭元康，享年86歲，於2026年7月27日在喬治城大學醫院安詳辭世，家人陪伴在側。約瑟夫於1940年6月19日出生於中國成都。1968年，他來到美國，追尋父親許下的機會和財富承諾。這份承諾激勵他成就了許多偉大的事業。他是家人移民美國的依靠，協助兄弟姊妹、堂表兄弟姊妹和母親移民美國。

彭先生的職業生涯始於 McDonald Douglass 公司和 Martin Marietta 公司的工程師，參與了太空梭外燃料箱的研發工作。1977年，他轉入美國郵政局。在那裡，他提升了美國郵票的地位，並不斷突破郵票的技術極限，包括自黏郵票、ATM郵票和全息郵票，同時也負責郵票的印刷工作。他在黏合劑郵票方面的工作使他於2000年榮獲白宮“Closing the Circle Award”，以表彰他使郵票生產過程“環境友好”。他負責郵票的內容，確保紙張、黏合劑和油墨均符合食品安全標準。

後來，他負責郵票發行項目，推出了一系列新郵票，其中包括一套以十二生肖及其對應年份為主題的中國生肖郵票。此外，他也主導製作了美國與中國聯合發行的第一枚郵票，郵票圖案為兩種瀕危鶴類——北美洲的美洲鶴與中國的黑頸鶴，象徵兩國友誼與野生動物保育。工作之餘，他堅持深造，攻讀了工程碩士學位。

1969年，彭先生在迪士尼樂園的聚會中結識了妻子愛麗絲，並於同年結婚。他們育有兩個孩子，Marcus 和 Margaret ，並於1977年在羅克維爾定居。他熱愛生活，尤其珍惜家庭，總是想辦法寵愛他的七個孫子以及瑪格麗特的愛犬。他身後留下了妻子、子女、兄弟姐妹：Willie， Martin， John， Wendell，和 Tony; 以及他的孫輩們： Allison, Joseph, Matthew, John, Elizabeth, Sophia, and Andrew。