Following his retirement, anytime he returned to his beloved Truro, he would swing right and left, to-and-fro, pressing the flesh of so many who appreciated him and wanting to be remembered by him. There never was enough time to reach them all! Dear Joe, we are happy for where you are now ... but you will be sorely missed.
Will & Tammy Putz
My two brothers and I returned to Truro from a family trip to the beach one Summer (in 1986 or so). That Sunday we wore 80s styly board shorts, flip flops and sports coats--dress shirts and ties. When we got to church we were met by Father Joe. Our parents were put off by our choice of attire, but Father Joe just lit up at the sight of us. Do you remember that smile he had that just seemed to come from the inside out? He had such an expression of genuine love that it just radiated from him. Amazing! Glorious! He stopped us, and wanted to admire those crazy shorts and connect with the characters he was going to worship with. We were so impressed with Father Joe that we went to the Fairfax Surf Shop and bought him a pair of board shorts. The following Sunday, the three of us gave him his own pair of "Jams." He was so touched. Ms. Freda had a look of humorous horror at them. LOL The next Sunday, was a parish picnic. Underneath his vestments for the services, Father Joe had worn his new board shorts, and sandals. Everybody under the age of 21 was pretty impressed. We all really had to celebrate the connection we had with him. What a treasure we had in him! Oh Father! Thank you! Thankyou for Father Joe and Freda!
ReplyDeleteOdie Dearborn (and my brothers Bart and Matt)