Attempting to describe Joe, to someone outside the family, was always a thoughtful undertaking. It was difficult to capture his essence, his sense of humor, and his caring (yet “what you see is what you get -- and I will be making no effort to change, so be forewarned”) demeanor. Upon introduction, however, Joe never hesitated to include, and treat, everyone around him as family.  

I appreciated Joe’s honesty, bluntness, and lack of pretext -- which is so rare these days.  I equally looked forward to the bantering and (most often unsolicited)  analyses of my life decisions. 😊 I never left a holiday get together without at least one entertaining soundbite, story, or Joe-ism.  

Although I did not see him as much as I would have liked, I always knew he was there if I needed him. I deeply regret that I will have no more opportunities to strong-arm him into making breaded cauliflower, especially when the requests fell outside of the accepted Easter holiday window.

You will be missed, Uncle Joe, but always in my heart.

Evee
On behalf of myself and my family I want to express our condolences. Joe was one of a kind. He told it as he believed it .
He always went out of his way for others and he always made you feel like you were part of the family.  He was the glue that made are 
block feel safe and secure. Countless kids and adults looked up to him as a father figure , uncle  or someone that you could trust with personal stuff. Joe was truly loved and will be missed everyday.Thanks for sharing him with everybody. God Bless.

Joe was more than a brother-in-law to me.  Sometimes, he was one of my children.  Amy and Andrew loved when Joe got into trouble as the “ leader of the pack”. There was always a lot of laughter, colorful language and jokes, but most of all, fun times with Joe around.  Joe was the life of any gathering. I will always treasure the musical card he sent to me that plays “I’ll be there”...and he was. He patiently painted my houses the numerous colors I  chose...way too frequent for him, yet he did it with a song.  Joe came with me on a driving trip to look at Big 10 Colleges for Andrew.  Fun!  He stocked up Amy’s freezer with his yummy foods.  Joe was our  “Chatty Cathy” as he could talk nonstop with the best of them to anyone. He will be missed every day in every way.  He called me ...the sister he never had❤️!  Love you, Joe.

You were always a great friend to our family. When I was unemployed during the Great Recession, you kept pushing me to get out there and do more. Sometimes I listened to your advice, sometimes I didn’t, but I always appreciated having it. I will miss that you won’t be around to give me anymore. 

Joseph, 
You were a great brother-in-law.  You welcomed me into your family.  The memories will always stay with me.  The laughter you brought  to all around you,    Love you Elizabeth 

Joe;
There are no words I can think of that will  replace the loss of a Brother,  and Friend we were so close. We had so many great times which i will never forget.  You will always be in my heart.  Love your brother John. 

Uncle Joe was never light on wisdom to share throughout my life. No matter what was going on he always had time to share a few words. He was my God father and that meant a lot to me that he could help guide me to the person I am today. I will always remember horsing around as a kid, Bears games, trips to Milwaukee, and most of all the laughs we had.  Thank you for everything Uncle Joe. You will be missed. 

What stands out to me the most when I think about Joe, was how kind he was. I will forever miss the trips to yogi and laughing until our stomachs hurt.  He was so generous and treated Bailey, my sister, and I like family. Whether you knew it at the time or not, your kindness and sense of humor was something we all needed. We love you and miss you more than you know. Continue watching over all of us, we love you Joey! 

My favorite memory I have shared with Joe was when he would take Bailey, Stephanie, my sister, and I up to the camper. These were always the best trips! The entire car ride up was spent laughing and making inside jokes that will forever hold a special place in my heart. He always gave the best advice and made sure we all knew he had our backs in any situation. His honesty and sense of humor stood out to me from the moment I met him. He was never afraid to be himself and laugh with us like a kid. These memories will always make me smile, and he will forever be loved and missed. 
I love you Joey, I know you’re watching over us. 

Joe was the bonus grandpa I was so blessed to have. Im so lucky to have known Joe, to make me laugh, to sit with me when I was down, to make me see things about myself I didn’t see, And to be loved by him was truly a blessing. I will miss our trips to yogi and breakfast trips and tacos. I will miss Joey asking to see my hands to make sure i wasn’t biting my nails, his singing, his jokes and stories. I am who I am because you loved me Joe❤️ I love you, i miss you, and I’ll be seeing you. 


Uncle Joe was the Duncle everybody should have in their lives. He was great to be around and ALWAYS had advice when needed. I was especially lucky because my three sons (Grant, Stefan and Ross) were able to meet and enjoy him as well. Always the life of the party, always there with a listening ear. He was the glue that kept us all together.  I will miss him very much and only hope that one day down the road we cross paths. He's with me in mind and spirit and I can feel him around me and my family, always protecting and caring for us. We love and miss you Uncle Joe

I met Joe through the family about 4 years ago. I immediately gravitated to him because of his carefree personality and he always had a smile on his face. I always looked forward to spending Easter and other time with Joe and the family. Joe will be very much missed. Much love from your friend in Alabama. ❤️

I enjoyed the many conversations that Joe and I shared these past few years over many meals.  I am glad we both had the opportunity to reconnect and forge a friendship.  He had a great smile and sense of humor and was a good listener.   I loved coming over for a homemade meal and swapping stories and opinions over endless cups of coffee.  The stories of my mom and her family were treasures for me.  Time seemed to slip by quickly when we got together.  There certainly won't be an Easter that passes that I don't think of him and remember his infectious smile on his favorite holiday.  He was at his best with Eve, and I loved being in their company witnessing that playful and loving spark they shared.  I will miss hearing his voice and his constant teasing!

I’m so happy Joe was able to get past the mean look on my face and we became such good friends.  His exterior was a little rough – but he was one of the nicest people I knew.  He always made me feel special.  He was so good to everyone and just wanted everyone to have a good time.  I’ll miss going to breakfast with him and talking for hours.  I’ll miss our phone calls and his texts for every holiday.  I’ll miss letting him grill for us on opening day, being our designated driver, AND treating us to pizza after.  I wish we could have had one more breakfast together.   You left us too soon!

Family gatherings are not going to be the same without you. I was lucky to call you my uncle. Your smile could make anyone change their mood in an instant. You always had a camera to capture those moments whether we were ready or not. But forever grateful you thought to capture them. Thank you for all the memories of baseball games, camping in the trailer, backyard BBQs, and helping me and my husband paint our first home together.  I love you and will miss you. 

The smile that could light up a room.

Unbelievable patience while chaperoning Patti, Evee and me on a shopping extravaganza.

Playing with Abby and Tucker on the floor until they were both in a doggy frenzy.

Fried cauliflower at Thanksgiving.

Taking pictures of all of us right before leaving Door to remember the visit.

Trying to catch the very best moment of sunset.

Watching the Bears and Packers play - lots of yelling at the TV!

Driving the county and stopping at each bakery for sampling bread.  (Notice the reoccurring theme of food?)

I’ll really miss him, won’t ever forget him and will often remember the smile that could light up a room.


I met Joe through my grandmother’s marriage to his brother-in-law Arlyn. It didn’t take long for Joe to extend his warm heart all throughout my grandma’s side of the family. He’d come up for all the reunions, and was the highlight of the weekend every time. For a few summers, I would spend a week staying at his and Evee’s house in Oak Lawn. I met such wonderful people, and could see that he had become family to them as well. Joe took me to my first baseball game. He was the first to take me to downtown Chicago, and Navy Pier. We went to a World War II museum, went camping at Yogi Bear, and made a road trip back home to WI in the RV, then finished it off with an air show in Oshkosh. He was the first relative I had that so desperately wanted me to visit for a week, and my biggest regret with Joe is that I didn’t visit more often. Joe is proof that you don’t need to be related to call someone family, and I think dozens of others would agree with me. Rest In Peace, my friend - you are dearly missed. 

Uncle Joe was one of my favorite uncles. I loved all the stupid jokes you cracked, our trips to yogi bear in the RV and making sure you were there for all the important parts of my life. I’m so happy you got to meet Cole and you’ll always have a special part of my life and his. Thank you for always letting me have a few dollars out of your poker winnings and making me smile even though I was a grumpy child. You’ll be missed so much, watch over us please <3

I have known Joe since he met Evee  and I  while we were on vacation with my family near Hayward Wisconsin.  What a handsome guy, with a twinkle in his eye, and the cleanest cabin at  Blueberry Lake.  We have all been friends since then, and they are both  part of my family.  It is hard to accept that someone as full of life, love, and mischief as Joe, is gone.

Joe and I were both opinionated, and frequently disagreed. However, we agreed to disagree,  (including about the Packers and the Bears) and then move on, so the friendship continued for more than 40 years.

  I always appreciated Joe's willingness to help, whether it was cooking his fabulous fried cauliflower as part of our Thanksgiving dinner, or running  the vacuum when the golden retriever hair needed to be picked up.  He would spot something that needed fixing almost every time they visited me, and usually he would just fix it.  He could fix almost anything, and always did it with a smile, and sometimes with a song, or at least humming a familiar melody.  Joey was rarely quiet.

Joe loved to eat, making it fun to cook special meals.   I appreciated his sweet tooth.  He was disappointed if I hadn't made cookies for their visits, so I made cookies.   His sweet tooth included Sweetie Pies, and Not Licked Yet custard, when Evee would approve a stop.  Being Joey, he frequently wanted to stop for a treat, usually right after we had just finished breakfast.

I  miss my dear friend,  noisy, smiling, helpful Joey.

Joe was a fun and loving person that I was glad to call my uncle. I will forever cherish the memories we shared going to Yogi Bear and all the endless talks we shared at family parties. 
Thank you for everything!
Love and miss you Uncle Joe! 

Caroline <3

Joe was a ball of energy. Every adventure you had with him, was an adventure to remember. I will never forget the time we went to woodhaven and had a whole photo shoot at Rock River. It’s hard to believe I will never hear from you again. Living right next to you was like having a secret personal neighborhood watcher, but in the best way possible. You will forever and always be my favorite pinky sister, and our secrets and memories will never die in my heart. Until we meet again, Joe ❤️

It’s hard to believe we will never have another girls trip to Cupid Candies. I will always miss making fun of the way you got ice cream all over your mustache while eating. Some part of me is still hoping that I’ll get a Facebook message from you one last time. I love you. 

When you were with joe it didn’t matter what you guys were doing. You could have been going to menards or going to yogi bear but either way he always had a smile on his face and was cracking jokes. He was the life of the party!
I love and miss you joe!

Our sympathy to Evee, family, neighbors and friend.  
We have many great memories of good times spent with Joe.    We  enjoyed many  Easter  🐣 gatherings and delicious food.You will  be missed by many.  

❤️ always Bart and  June. 

We will miss you Joe

This is not goodbye.. Til we meet again 😞



Evee and family - please accept our heartfelt condolences. Joey was a one in a lifetime kind of friend. So much so that we adopted him into my family. He was kind, thoughtful, compassionate, empathetic, hard working, hilarious, loving, honest and loyal. He said what he thought with his mouth but showed how much he cared through his actions. 
We were so very fortunate to be loved by him. Our world forever changed now.   God called him home and this I don’t understand.   While I find peace in knowing he is no longer in pain, it hurts that we have to say good-bye. Joey still had so much he wanted to do with Evee. He loved you so very much Evee.  We pray that God gives his family the strength they need right now and that memories help ease some pain. We love you Joey!!

AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Joseph Edward Niziolek

3 février 1947 – 18 juillet 2020

Blake-Lamb Funeral Home

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