Obituary of Joseph E. Kearney

Joe Kearney (84) passed away at Valley Vista Care Center on September 8, 2012. He was born in Burns, OR on February 27, 1928, the son of John and Rose Kearney, the youngest of five children. Joe grew up in Kettle Falls, Washington, and moved to Coeur d' Alene, ID in the early 1950's. Joe served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He worked road construction throughout his life . He worked for Inland Asphalt and retired from there in 1992. He had an infectious smile, a great sense of humor and was particularly good at "one liners". He loved to hunt and fish, play cards, dance and garden. Joe married Velma Lorenz in 1979. They enjoyed dancing, eating out and traveling together. Some of the places they traveled to included a train trip across Canada and a trip to Europe. The highlight for Joe was stopping in Belgium to visit his brother Amiel's grave at the U.S. Military Cemetery. They lived in Coeur d' Alene until Velma's death in 2006. Joe is survived by many family members including Elton and M'Lynn Kearney, Wayne and Leslie Kearney, Denise and Ken Boston, Ron and Gloria Lorenz, Jerry and Louise Lorenz, Linda Lorenz, Steve and Carmen Lorenz, and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He is also survived by close friend, Darrell Shute, who shared in his life for over 80 years. Joe's family wants to say " We appreciate all the love and care Valley Vista gave to Grandpa Joe" A celebration of his life will be Saturday, September 22, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of the Nazarene 175 Grandview Dr., St. Maries, ID . Visit his online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.hodgefuneralhome.com Read Joseph Kearney's Obituary and Guestbook on www.hodgefuneralhome.com.