My amazing Grandpa Joe has been gone from us for 4 years now and we still miss him very much! He passed away on March 2, 2004 from cancer at the young age of 67. He was such an incredible man in so many ways and it is truly an honor to be able to call him my grandfather! I can't wait for the day to see him again and tell him just how much he has impacted my life!
Grandpa Joe wasn't hard to find in a crowd. In fact I could always spot him when we went to some sporting event with the family. "Just look for the white cowboy hat and you'll find where we are sitting," Grandma would say. He always wore jeans, a white long sleeve button down shirt and a cowboy hat - everyday. He was one tough cowboy!
Some of my fondest memories of my Grandpa Joe are from when I was younger and we would travel from Colorado down here to Arizona during the Summertime. We would do fun things like BBQ in the backyard and he would make his famous baby back ribs and us grandchildren found so much joy in peeling corn with him to prepare for the dinner. I remember going on scorpion hunts and watching him hold a black light to find them. It's amazing how good you can see them in the dark with a black light. We would keep count of how many we found and killed. He simply sliced them in half with a pocket knife. Us grand kids loved it! It was SO much fun!
My more recent memories of my Grandpa Joe are actually when I moved down here in July 2001 and I was able to see him much more often than when I lived in Colorado. I loved going over to their house in Mesa for yummy dinner's and visiting with both my Grandma and Grandpa. They are seriously some of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life.....and they are my family! I'm SO glad that Jordan and my Grandpa were able to meet and spend some time together. Those two could talk for hours upon hours and looking back I am so grateful for that! Grandpa Joe loved each of us and took such great care of all of his family. He is a man that I will always look up to! I love you Grandpa and I know that you are doing wonderful work wherever you are. I'm thankful for eternal families and the knowledge that I will see and be with him again someday!
Here are some pictures of the incredible man that we all call Grandpa Joe! The one's from my wedding in June 2003 are especially meaningful to me. Our wedding reception is probably where we had our last family picture taken with him in it. I'm so thankful that he was able to be a part of that special day in my life!
