H. Joe Ware

Joe Ware, as he liked to be called, was born in Rotan, Texas, on the brink of the Great Depression, on August 3, 1928 to Alfonso Denton Ware and Minnie Jewel Maule. He was the eldest child with five brothers and sisters.

The Ware family spent their early years as migrant farm workers, which lead them from Texas to California. He told many stories of those difficult years for his family, and often reminded us that his young life very much paralleled the story told in The Grapes of Wrath. The family traveled picking cotton and fruit wherever work could be found. Those early days built a strong work ethic in young Joe.

He joined the US Army at the age of eighteen. While serving he discovered his fondness of flying. He was at the base and by chance, stumbled across the opportunity to be taken up in a military plane. That was the first of many plane rides for Joe. During his service, he worked as graphic artist and made posters for the war effort. He always said this was where he got his true training for his career.

After serving in the military, he worked as a dance instructor for the Arthur Murray Dance Studio. He and his dance partner would teach dance classes aboard the Queen Mary sailing from Long Beach Harbor to Catalina Island.

Joe was a talented, creative artist. He started his career in advertising, then eventually became a successful stuffed toy designer. He worked for big companies, such as Kamar Toys and Mattel. During this period if you visited a gift shop anywhere that sold stuffed animals, you were certain to see Joe's designs! This part of his career eventually led to his travels to different parts of Asia. Joe was innovative in his thinking and always invented new ideas for something that "somebody should make someday."

One of his greatest adventures in life was flying through the Grand Canyon aboard the Kamar company plane used to entertain and fly clients. He would retell the story with a sparkle in his eye and a big smile on his face.

In his later years, Joe was always finding a new, creative endeavor to explore: from computers to old time music. He loved collecting, labeling, and archiving music from the past. He never shied away from learning new computer technology.

Joe always had a positive and enthusiastic outlook on life. He was fearless, always eager to learn anything new and explore, never demanding or needy. He often thanked God for even small pleasures, and he sought to find contentment every day no matter what life brought. It was through this resiliency, with great pride, that he lived independently until his passing.

Joe Ware leaves his four children Susan (Ware) Rounsevell, Michael Ware, William Ware, Lisa (Ware) Walker; his nine grandchildren, Benjamin Ware, Alissa (Rounsevell) Leavitt, Jared Rounsevell, Evan Rounsevell, Kayla Korhonen, Cicely Ware, Sarah Ware, Amanda Ware and Kai Walker. Before his passing, he welcomed his first great-grandchild, Hadley Leavitt. He is also survived by two sisters, Lora Hurd and Sandy Neesby. He was proceeded in death by his parents and his brothers Don, Dave, and Denny Ware.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, June 25, 2017 at 3:30 pm at the Balearic Community Center, Costa Mesa.