From the late 1960s through the early 1980s, our family frequently visited Joe, Dot, Beth, and Jody at their home in Locust Hill, VA off the Rappahannock River, or they visited us at our house in Forestville, MD.  

The visits were always tremendous fun, and our families got along well together.  Evenings often ended with eating a bushel of crabs.  In the early-mid 1970s, Joe, my Dad, and I would frequently go out on his boat and spend hours fishing on the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay.  Both bodies of water were very healthy at the time, and we would often return from a fishing trip with what seemed like hundreds of fish including spot, bluefish, rockfish, and croakers.  He taught me much of what I know about fishing, gutting and cleaning fish, and storing them in his freezer for future eating.

One trip in 1976 stands out in my mind.  I think that Joe had something like a 22-25 foot Chris Craft runabout.  We were out in the Chesapeake Bay. I was using really heavy tackle – a heavy trolling rod and heavy-duty saltwater trolling reel.  I hooked something, and it took me 15-20 minutes to bring it up.  Joe and my Dad thought I had hooked a tire, given how much my rod was bending.  When it finally came to the surface, it turned out to be a very large ray, between 5-7 feet from wingtip to wingtip.  We brought it alongside the boat, and the ray was not happy, slapping the side of our boat with its massive wing, causing the boat to rock back and forth.  Joe and my dad were trying to talk me into cutting the line.  Since I was only 13, I was jazzed about catching something so large, and the idea that bringing it into the boat would be a problem simply didn’t occur to me.  My dad tried to reach down with a net, but the ray was far too massive. Joe tried to reach down and hook it with a boat hook, but then the ray reversed itself and started slapping at Joe with its barbed tail.  Thankfully, it didn’t hit him.  Just about that point, the ray snapped the line and swam away.  While I was disappointed, I know Joe and my dad were thankful we didn’t get it aboard.  Looking back on it, I’m not sure what we would have done with the ray if we had brought it back to the dock.  I wouldn’t have had any idea how to fillet it, let alone eat it.

Bottom line, Joe was an outstanding host, fisherman, and waterman.  He was an even better family man, and was always wonderful to my family and I.  When my father passed away unexpectedly in 2000, Joe came to help me out with the funeral preparations and to help me deal with my loss.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Dot, Beth, and Jody as they cope with the loss of Joe.  Thankfully, he is now free from the pain that he has been battling for far too long.  He is now with God and with Jesus.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family in this time of loss.