Dad was born in Chicago, firstborn son of Florence and Joseph, a Catholic, Polish boy who worked as a paperboy, attended Catholic Elementary School, played football, caught crawdads and jumped freight trains for fun. He lived in the Polish neighborhood in a brownstone building with extended family. Both his grandpa and dad died early from too much drink. He had a high school teacher who realized he was really smart and helped him set his heights higher than train engineer,  which was his job after graduating. Mr Dad joined the Marines over his father’s protest and was shipped to California for boot camp to Camp Pendleton, where he fell in love with the climate, the emptiness, the sea and he liked slipping over the border to drink in Tijuana. He would brawl when he drank too much, pictures of him with black eyes in uniform  reminders of his exploits. He broke his jaw and was laid  up in the Navy hospital healing where he made mischief breaking out all the windows in the bathroom. He became an aircraft carrier  qualified pilot flying both helicopters and fighter jets. He left the Marines to marry Barbara Traczyk, then using his GI benefits went to school and got an engineering degree, having his first two girls, Barbara Jo and Jeanine while studying. Got his first engineering job at Mitre in Massachusetts, where he had two more kids, Mona Rose & Joseph Alexander. He also bought his very first home.  In 1967, he was able to land his dream job in California and the whole family moved arriving in Newport Beach on July 4th, thereby fulfilling his lifelong dream to settle where it doesn’t snow and the ocean is close. He also beat alcoholism thru the grace of his wife and God, spending the rest of his years sober. After retiring, Joe and Barb learned how to deep sea dive and travelled the world together. Joe is survived by his wife, Barb, his children, BJ, Jeanine, Mona Rose & Joe, and 13 grandkids and 18 great grandkids.