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Hi Judith: I never knew Joe, but feel like I did. Your touching tribute, as well as janet marie's "joe's story" on her website, will perpetuate Joe's legacy-the education and enlightenment of his fellow PWPs and their CGs...Some small consolation when dealing with the loss of a fine man. Carole --- judith richards <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > On Thursday, January 20, 2000 9:57 AM, janet wrote: > >Subject: one year later: joe's story > > > >hi all > >the pages have been renovated > >but the message is the same > > Janet, > I want to thank you for remembering Joe at this time, > and also for > posting his story so that others can hopefully learn from > it. > It is hard to believe that a year has passed since we > lost Joe. It > hasn't been an easy year for some of us and these past > few days have > been particularly difficult. > We have all moved on with our lives, and so we must, > but the hurt > and the sense of loss of a husband, father, grandfather > and dear friend > are still here. And questions still remain, but will go > unanswered. > Our support group usually wraps up the season with a > social > get-together in June, but last summer we felt we needed > to do something > extra for Joe. One couple volunteered to host a pig roast > (sorry, > Hilary) in August for the get-together, and out of that > was born the > idea of asking for contributions which Joe’s wife, Donna, > could donate > for Parkinson's research. > We decided we wanted to make it a happy event - a > celebration of > Joe's life. > As then co-leader of the group, I was asked to say a > few words about > Joe, so I'm including a few excerpts from that time... > > "A little about Joe: He was kind of a nut --- a happy > guy who loved > life and loved people. > > He was Mr. Fix-it. If it was broken, he could fix it. > If it wasn’t > broken, he wanted to know how it worked. He often joked > that he had to > know how to fix things because Donna broke everything she > touched. > > Joe worked at GM Diesel, and one day, to get a rise out > of Donna, he > drove a tank home at lunch time. As it turned out Donna > wasn’t home, > but all was not lost -- the neighbours were amused, to > say the least. > > Joe loved cars and ten years ago he co-founded the Forest > City Ford > Club, which is still going strong today. It’s a > family-oriented > club, -- not ‘just a club for the guys.’ > > For years Joe looked for a ‘68 Shelby and finally found > one. Donna said > that when Joe came home from work, he would go into the > garage and say, > “Hi honey, I’m home,” --- before he came in to speak to > her. > > Eventually Joe sold the Shelby, but later he bought a > bright red, ‘91 > Mustang convertible. One day I heard a - vroom, vroom, > vroom - and I > thought, what the heck is that noise? I opened my front > door to see Joe > sitting in his Mustang with the top down and a big silly > grin on his > face. > > I think that’s how we should remember him. That’s what > Joe would > want..." > > Donna donated the money that was raised to Dr. Jon > Stoessl, Joe’s > former neurologist, who is now doing Parkinson's research > at the > University of British Columbia. > Again, Joe's family and Al and I want to thank all > who helped us > through very difficult times. > > Sincerely, > Judith > > ~~~~ > Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada > [log in to unmask] > ^^^^ > \ / > \ | / Today’s Research > \\ | // ...Tomorrow’s > Cure > \ | / > \|/ > ````` > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com