Once upon a time a blond, curly haired baby came to earth. He was born March 10, 1941 and taken to St Monica's Orphanage at 10 days old. His name was Joseph.  Less than a year later, he got a baby sister who was taken to this same orphanage at 10 days of age. They are of Irish descent- 99% and of Catholic faith that both kept throughout their lifetime.

Art & Gert Schissel adopted both of these children in June of 1942. Joe grew up in Iowa and attended school there until he was sixteen, then entered ROTC (the military academy) for 2 years in St Paul, MN. He returned to Iowa to finish high school and enrolled in an agricultural business School for a year before he began 12 years of farming. He went on to do various other jobs in Minnesota and Arizona.

He married young and a daughter, Julie, was born to Joe and his wife. He later married Marti on Nov 4, 1974, and together, they built a life of adventure, challenges and love. They just celebrated 47 years together at the Avantara-Mt. View Care Center, where he has been a resident for three years and three months.

In April of 1997, Joe and Marti began the search for his birth parents. Seven months later they made contact with his birth mother's family. They and Joe were overjoyed. They set up a meeting in Racine at Aunt Sally's apartment to meet each other and three of her children. But Joe had a heart attack in Arizona on February 4, 1998, and everyone was so afraid they wouldn't get to meet. But they all did meet in Racine when Joe and Marti came home from Arizona in March. There he met his dear Aunt Sally and three of her children. Mary, the oldest, couldn't believe that Joe was almost a duplicate of their grandpa, Franklin Oliver O'Furey, who had passed in 1971. His birth mother, Eileen, had passed in 1973, so he couldn't meet them, but went on to Omaha, NE, and brought wreaths for their graves. His birth family loves him and he feels the same. He said he finally feels like he belongs somewhere and to this family.

Ten years later he found his birth father's family in South Sioux City, NE, and drove there to meet them. His father also had passed but he did meet his 2 half-brothers and a half sister. So in the end, Joe made the full circle and found the pieces of his life that he connected like a jigsaw puzzle. He also visited his dad's cemetery in Jackson, NE, to say goodbye.

Joe could talk to any man or woman, girl or boy, cat or dog and even to the worms he fished with. Joe made special friends in Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Arizona, and all were important to him.

Joe is survived by his wife Marti and 3 stepchildren Cheri and Randy, and Larry. They will miss him greatly.

Joe always requested "NO SERVICES" for himself as he left us – He asks you to join him later in Heaven. Thank you