Joe was always a private person. He held his feelings close and his emotions in check until circumstances became overwhelming, and that was usually when the flood gates would open. Sometimes it would be his uncontrollable anger about his cancer, or it was his crushing grief of leaving his family and friends behind.
But I do know this, in the last two years he opened his heart to all of us, twice through his Chapel talks and many times in our home. I remember one night in particular when Joe and I talked while the rest of the house was fast asleep. We were huddled close to each other, whispering so not to wake Mike, Tony and David as they slept on our bedroom floor. He leaned over to me saying how he had been cheated, asking why his life was being dashed away. I had no answers to his questions, but I am forever grateful for our conversation.
This brave young man stepped out of his private world and allowed us to walk with him to the very end. What an incredible gift.
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