Sunday, January 4, 2026
Patient and kind and funny. I have the best memories of uncle Joe having spent a lot of my formative years at the farm. I remember and will never forget: how many of his nieces and nephews he taught to drive including myself. It is amazing to me how he survived this alone!! I remember the fantastic bale forts he showed us how to make. I remember all the animals he taught me to love and always treat with respect.....horses, cows, chickens, dogs, cats, pigs, mice, skunks, rabbits - he loved nature and he taught me that love. He taught me the importance of moving my body daily......I think we all remember doing daily exercises with him at night and the races around the kitchen table with him holding our feet and the somersault thing where we bent over and he grabbed us by the hands and flipped us over. I remember all the trouble I got into with cousin Mel and how patient he was when we got caught. We would walk around the electric fence of the pigpen to see who could balance the best and he just watched and said "make sure you jump off or fall off far enough away that you don't touch the fence". He challenged us to run as fast as we could from the pump house to the barn and he would do the countdown 1,2,3 GO. I remember playing on the farm equipment and encountering a wasp nest and Mel being covered in wasps and running in panic to the house and grandma being very upset of course but Uncle Joe just quietly said maybe find a different place to play. We knew that he knew we were told not to play there. I remember walking to Uncle Ed's and encountering about a mile down the road A SKUNK - I started screaming and I am not sure where Uncle Joe was but he came flying up that road as fast as he could, picked me up and ran with me all the way back to the house. By the time we got there we were both laughing and giggling. I remember how close he was to my mom and how much he supported her through her troubled life. The quiet, calm way they both loved each other and supported each other was such a true blessing so many times!! There are so many memories - he was here for us all!! To Auntie Beth, Loretta, Carmen and Deanna and their families I know you have beautiful memories as well. The love of Uncle Joe and the memories you have will forever remain in your heart. We love you Uncle Joe....... thankyou for being an important part of my life rest easy and give mom and dad, grandma and grandpa and all my wonderful aunts and uncles and cousins a huge hug!!!!
