A man of modesty, but deep running thoughts
A ready smile, hands ready to help
Anyone who came his way in distress or need
To who he could help, or befriend, Joe was tops
His high school sweetheart ever loved, was by his side
Joe's four children, equally as faithful, and friends to all
He worked hard, night and day, to see to their needs
Was there for them, as a good man does, for all
He answered the call to be who he needed to be
In peerless perfection no, but that's not the thing
That leaves a man with devoted friends, and family
Who miss him and say, goodbye for now, until eternity.
Sean Mclaughlin
I was thinking about Joe before sacrament meeting, and was penning these words, when Mario came to sit with us. Mario, Joe, and Preston were the "Sunday School crew" who hung out together many Sundays in the Newhall Ward foyer couches during that Sunday School hour. Last Sunday, Mario came to our sacrament meeting (usually he goes to Newhall's) and sat with us. I know part of why he was there. To support his buddy Preston. I don't know Mario really well but he has street cred, gospel cred, life cred....he enters the room, with his dark sunglasses on, and sits, and adds instant cool to any situation. This seemingly unlikely trio--Preston, Joe, and Mario, became friends--all drawn by a commonality which I can best describe as incredible Joe Coolness, a humored view of life, life mileage... A simple thing, three guys hanging out, comfortable with each other, the same generation, a lot in common....a love of food found in hole-in-the-wall mom 'n pop places, talking about high school stuff, family stuff, any of the thousands of things we are going through at the ages we're at, with other guys who are personable, good men, likeable fathers, husbands, brothers, sons. All too often, we working stiffs have so little time outside of work or our own families to have buddies we just hang out with. Men need that--they need friends like that every bit as much as they did when they were kids.
Joe was the last 50-something guy we knew, with a nice wife and a nice family of 4 kids, the youngest now serving a mission, who would want to leave all and step across the veil nilly willy. His heart was here; his family and kids he loves are here; his life and his friends were here, his work was here. But Joe's heart was also on eternal things--and I think he quickly accepted the transition. As was said during his funeral, he had taught his kids everything they needed. Looking at his family, Joe and Tina's good hearted, loving, kind children, said that this was all true. Inexplicable the whys and hows and the timing of things in anyone's life, and why some seem to pass away too young, or why things are experienced. But in the wisdom of a beautiful young birth mother who told as as she asked us, as she handed us her beautiful baby daughter who became our own, in the form of a question: "Do you believe things happen for a reason?"
Yes I do. I believe there's purpose, I believe there's a plan, I believe there's an involved God, and I believe if we are open to what is laid out for us to learn and do, life's teachings and meanings, and the reasons and purposes through which we pass through the experiences we do, become our life's custom curriculum. I know
Sean McLaughlin Joe passed away in his sleep peacefully. He had come home fell asleep on the couch....and that was it.