He was born in Bellows Falls, VT on June 9, 1969 the son of Gary and Priscilla (Carlisle) Wallace.
Joe grew up in the Newport, NH area and came to Keene in 1986. He attended Keene High School and graduated in 1989. While in high school Joe was a member of the Keene High School Hockey Team, was a member of the yearbook staff, and he enjoyed attending wrestling matches. In his free time, he loved fishing, riding his bicycle, paddling his Kayak and attending Swamp Bats Games, and traveling. He enjoyed the story of Huckleberry Finn as he felt he was like Huckleberry in many ways. He was a NASCAR fan and collected racing cars. One of the highlights in Joe’s life was being able to ride in an official NASCAR car at the Richard Petty Experience at Walt Disney World.
Joe wanted to win some money so he could take his mom on a “Nice Trip”, and to pay off her car. He wanted to buy a house by the water in Marlow so he and his mom could fish. He wanted to meet “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and always wanted to have a companion to go to the movies and out to dinner. He was looking forward to going to the Keene YMCA and skating at the ice rink but needed a few modifications to his skates and he talked about taking a trip to Hawaii.
Joe was well known in the community and was active in many organizations. He was very active with the New Hampshire Special Olympics and the Penguin Plunge program. He volunteered at the Keene Community Kitchen, the Meals on Wheels Program, the Special Education Program at Keene State College, and the Salvation Army. He was employed by Hannaford’s in Keene for a short time.
He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Priscilla and David Jones of Newport, NH; his father and stepmother Gary and Dottie Wallace of Bellows Falls, VT; his sister Michelle W. Leavitt and her husband, Marc, of Hopkinton, NH; a nephew, Nathan Leavitt and his wife, Tori; a niece Sonja Leavitt; his aunt and uncle, Carolyn and Paul Szoc of Keene, NH; an aunt Rose Benjamin of Langdon, NH; and several cousins.
Family and friends are invited to call at the Foley Funeral Home, 49 Court Street, Keene on Sunday, February 16th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. A time of remembrance will be held at 3:30. Burial at the Pine Crest Cemetery in Charlestown will be at a later date. There will be a gathering at the Italian Club, 97 Wood St., Keene, NH, from 4:30 – 6:00.
The family would like to thank the services who have supported Joe since he has lived in Keene, MDS, New Hopes – New Horizons, City of Keene Fire Department, City of Keene Police Department and the many individuals who helped along the way.
For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made in Joe’s name to New Hopes – New Horizons, c/o SCS, PO Box 603, Keene, NH 03431-0603; or The New Hampshire Special Olympics, 650 Elm Street, Manchester, NH 03101-2508; or to the American Heart Association of New England, PO Box 417005, Boston, MA 02241-2005.
