Honoring Our Joe in Columbia Falls, Montana

When we first decided to move to Montana, Joe was so very excited for us! He couldn’t wait to get up here and spend time with us in the beautiful area. He never got the chance to see our place. It was hard to move someplace where no one knew our Joe and we didn’t have any memories of him. We have tried to honor our Joe in lots of ways since we have moved here. We have donated money in his name to worthy organizations. We planted a tree in our yard for him with a memorial plaque and a glider next to it. We joined the local volunteer fire department and are carrying on Joe’s tradition of service as firefighters and an EMT. We have lit candles for Joe all over the world and said prayers for him daily. Today we were able to go to the Columbia Falls Riverside Park and place a memorial plaque on a city bench we purchased and had placed overlooking the fishing pond…. right where Joe would have loved to be. Lily, Rich, and I placed his plaque on his bench today. We wore his memorial t-shirts and watched a family made up of 3 generations teach the youngest family member (about 4 years old) how to fish. It was very fitting. Joe is never forgotten, and he lives on in our hearts and memories. Now, people from around here, locals or tourists, can pop a squat on his bench and read about his life and know how special he was, is, and continues to be.