He was born on October 4th, 1926 to Susannah Mitchell Heath and Harold Ray Heath. He was the third of eight boys, soon to be known as the legendary “Heath Boys of Holladay”, for they were well known and respected. The boys worked at many odd jobs and carried local newspaper routes during the years of the depression. Yet, despite those hard economic times, Joe claimed that his kind parents never let them feel deprived or needy.
During World War II, the family moved to Kaysville. Joe was then old enough to join the U.S. Navy where he eventually became an instructor of electronics and the developing radar system. After returning home, he was called on his first mission to Brazil, serving from 1947 to 1950.
Joe met and married Colleen Wright in 1951 in the Salt Lake Temple. They settled in the U. of U. Stadium Village Married Student Housing where they made many life-long friends. He graduated with a degree in Physics in 1952 and went on to earn his Medical degree from the University of Utah Medical School in 1958. Joe then moved his young family to California for two years where he took additional training to specialize in Family Medicine. He returned to Kaysville, Utah, practiced for five years, and served on the City Council. In 1965 he moved back to his beginnings in Holladay, where he joined the Olympus Clinic.
His many church callings there included serving as Bishop to one of the first Singles Wards in the valley, a very choice experience, for he truly enjoyed working with young adults.
In 1974 Joe was elected President of the Utah Academy of Family Practice, and in 1981 he was selected as the Utah Family Doctor of the Year. He continued serving for many years and in many areas at the University of Utah to support the growth of Utah’s Family Practice specialty. When he retired from the Olympus Clinic in 1990, he worked for two years in ‘locum tenens’, a service that sends doctors to other stateside areas needing temporary help.
Joe and Colleen were called on three separate LDS missions to Brazil where Joe had originally served.
The first one was to Sao Paulo where Joe was President of the Missionary Training Center. In 1997 they were called back to Sao Paulo where he was asked to be the Medical Advisor for all the Brazilian Missions. In 2000 they were assigned to the ocean-side city of Recife where Joe served as President of the new Recife Temple. Both Joe and Colleen enjoyed wonderful experiences with the Brazilian people, their history, their culture, and their beautiful Portuguese language. Joe had a strong belief in the Gospel and wherever he lived, he was happiest in serving and strengthening others.
Joe is survived by his wife, Colleen, their eight children, 21 grandchildren and 26 great grandchildren. When Joe and Colleen had five children, all boys, they decided to add to the Heath tradition by adopting three girls. As the years progressed, they later included what the family calls three more “bonus” daughters. Children are: Grant Joseph Heath, David Wright Heath, Alan Mitchell Heath (Leslie), Steven Wright Heath (Therese), Quintin Dewey Heath (Nancy), Andrea Swensen, Amy Exterkamp (Mike), and Heather Nicholas. The three “bonus” daughters are: Royella Smith, Jill Zanelli (Eric), and Marjorie Nez.
Joseph is also survived by the youngest of his many brothers, Henry E. Heath, (Joy).
