This guy was a big part of my childhood. Joe pushed my limits riding dirt bikes far more than I would have ever believed possible. Riding with reckless abandon the trails of Oil Well Holler, Gas Line Road, and many more. I remember Joe insisting that I get a job with him at Kroger. I was only 15 and could not legally join the union (amalgamated meat cutters and butcher workmen of North America) until I turned 16. Joe said not to worry about it, "just tell them you're 16 and give them your money!" It was like $6 and hour, but double time on Sundays and we made triple time on holidays... good money for kids, it kept us flush. Hitchhiking 2 hours away to Huntington and Charleston to see Lynyrd Skynyrd, REO Speedwagon, Bob Seger, and so many other concerts it would be impossible to list. So many days spent wrestling, playing cards, laughing, listening to music, talking of girls, getting stoned and dreaming of the future. We lost touch for a few decades before FB reunited us, but I can say with all certainty that our shared experiences kept our connection fully intact. We picked up right where we left off. We talked on the phone about the friends of bygone days. We laughed about our near death escapes on the snowy mountain roads of our youth. Icy roads to Pikeville which we traversed on the bald tires of cars that should not have been allowed on the dry pavement of summer! We recalled hoping we would not encounter a coal truck meeting us head on at the next curve. We laughed about how he so earnestly explained our need to be driving as far to the left of the middle line possible or as close to the edge of the cliff as possible depending on our next curve so each of our inevitable 360s would stay on the road and not spin off the cliff. (It actually worked too!) We argued over the phone whether we spun 4 or 7 different times that trip. We laughed about going over Sandstone Falls in rafts, getting thrown off and being caught in the hydraulics of the spinning water beneath the falls wondering if we could fight through to resurface. Joe was a strong guy in those days... these words to a song by one of his favorite musicians remind me of the Joe that I knew. "I was eighteen Didn't have a care Working for peanuts Not a dime to spare But I was lean and Solid everywhere Like a rock My hands were steady My eyes were clear and bright My walk had purpose My steps were quick and light And I held firmly To what I felt was right Like a rock" So many memories. So many crazy times. I miss Joe.