WHEN WE LOSE SOMEONE WE
LOVE, IT'S OFTEN THE STORY WES
TELL ABOUT THEM THAT OFFER THE
MOST COMFORT.
WITH THAT IN MIND, WCCO
WANTS TO GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO
SHARE YOUR LOVED ONES STORY.
IT'S A WAY TO PUT A SPOTLIGHT
ON AN AVERAGE PERSON THAT WE
NEVER MET BUT WHO MADE A
LASTING IMPRESSION.
I ALWAYS NOTICED HE'D BE
SMILING.
AND HE ALWAYS LOOKED TO ME TO
MAKE SURE I WAS WATCHING.
YOU KNOW.
I THINK HE WANTED HIS WIFE TO
BE HIS BIGGEST FAN.
HE WAS 56 YEARS OLD WHEN HE
DIED THREE WEEKS AGO.
HIS FAMILY WILL NEVER FORGET
HIS LOVE OF MUSIC.
AS ANGELA DAVIS FOUND OUT,
MUSIC WAS ONE OF MANY THINGS
THAT MADE THIS MAN'S LIFE STORY
SUCH A MEMORABLE ONE.
JOE TAUGHT HIMSELF HOW TO PLAY
THE GUITAR WHEN HE WAS A CHILD.
HE COULD HEAR A SONG AND GO
HMM, AND THEN DO IT.
WITHOUT HAVING TO SEE THE
MUSIC.
HE COULD PLAY.
AS AN ADULT, JOE PERFORMED
WITH LOCAL BANDS.
AS A PARENT, HE PLAYED FOR HIS
THREE KIDS, A LOT.
WHEN I WAS IN -- I THINK IT
WAS THIRD GRADE, I TOLD MY
WHOLE MUSIC CLASS THAT MY DAD
WROTE DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?
I WAS CONVINCED HE WOULD ALWAYS
PLAY CHRISTMAS SONGS AND I
THOUGHT HE WROTE THAT.
JOE COULD ALSO BUILD THINGS AND
AFTER STUDYING A HOW-TO BOOK ON
CONSTRUCTION, HE BUILT HIS OWN
CABIN.
HE BOUGHT A BOOK.
I READ THE BOOK TO HIM AS HE
BUILT.
WE'D SIT OUTSIDE IN THE DIRT
AND THE KIDS WOULD PLAY.
JOE MET HIS SECOND WIFE
JACKIE YEARS AFTER HIS DIVORCE.
I DID SOMETHING I NORMALLY
DON'T DO.
I'M NOT AN OVERLY FORWARD
PERSON.
BUT I GAVE HIM THE HEAD NOD TO
COME OVER.
JACKIE SAID SHE LOVED HOW MUCH
HE LOVED HIS KIDS.
HE LEAVES ME WITH A WONDERFUL
FAMILY THAT I DIDN'T HAVE
BEFORE HIM.
NOW I GET TO EXPERIENCE JOE YET
THROUGH HIS KIDS AND BE ABLE TO
HAVE A PART OF HIM YET.
JOE'S SON ALSO PLAYS THE GUITAR
FOR HIS CHURCH AND A LOCAL
BAND.
WHEN I WAS 15, HE GAVE ME
ANOTHER GUITAR FOR MY BIRTHDAY.
AND I STARTED PLAYING AND I
HAVEN'T STOPPED SINCE.
JOE OWNED MORE THAN A DOZEN
GUITARS.
I CAN REMEMBER MULTIPLE
CONVERSATIONS WE HAD ABOUT EACH
AND EVERY ONE OF THEM.
HIS FAMILY SAYS HIS SENSE OF
HUMOR WAS PRICELESS.
EVEN WHEN HE WAS SICK HE WAS
MAKING JOKES TO THE NURSE AS
SHE CAME IN.
HE CALLED THE NURSE THE THING
THAT WON'T GO AWAY.
HIS FAMILY SAYS JOE WAS ALSO A
LIFELONG MINNESOTA TWIN'S FAN.
BUT IT WAS A VERY COMPLICATED
RELATIONSHIP.
HE WANTED THEM TO WIN.
BUT HE WAS CERTAIN THEY WOULD
LOSE EACH GAME.
IN THE LAST YEAR AS HIS HEALTH
DECLINED, JOE STILL DID
VOLUNTEER WORK, HE WAS A TUTOR
TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
LEARNING HOW TO PLAY THE
GUITAR.
WE WOULD LOVE TO SHARE YOUR
LOVED ONES LIFE STORY IF YOU'VE
RECENTLY LOST SOMEONE AND WOULD
LIKE TO SHARE THEIR STORY WITH
US, HEAD TO OUR WEBSITE AT
WCCO.COM/LINKS.
SCROLL DOWN THE PAGE AND LOOK
FOR THE LINK THAT SAYS SHARE
SOMEONE'S LIFE STORY.
IN THE NEWS WE TALK A LOT ABOUT
HOW PEOPLE DIE.
FOR ME IT'S BEEN WONDERFUL TO
TALK ABOUT HOW PEOPLE LIVE AND
WHAT THEY'RE REMEMBERED FOR.
I HAVE TO REMEMBER IT'S
CATHARTIC FOR FAMILY MEMBERS
TOO.
IT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER.
YOU REMEMBER STUFF YOU HAVEN'T
THOUGHT ABOUT.
AND YOU APPRECIATE THE SMALL
CHARACTERISTICS ABOUT PEOPLE
THAT WILL BE THEIR LEGACY.
WHAT'S THE PLAN.
ONE OR TWO OF THESE A WEEK?
I'LL BE WITH YOU EVERY
