Joseph G. Thresher

Joseph G. Thresher 71, died in Tampa, FL, on Nov. 3, 2016, the day after his 48th wedding anniversary. He was born in Fond du Lac, WI, on April 22, 1945, one of 13 children born to Robert Thresher, a WWII veteran and house painter, and Mathilda Weber, who made the best apple pies. Joseph studied chemistry at UW Madison, where he met Joanne Seckar, of Oshkosh, WI. They married just before he left for Vietnam, where he served as an Army officer and earned the Air Medal and two Bronze Stars. He then earned his law degree at UW. He was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1973 and spoke at the induction ceremony after posting a high score on the Florida Bar Exam. He truly loved the practice of law, specialized in construction litigation, and was in the first group of board-certified construction lawyers in Florida. He always told his kids, “Work hard, play hard.” He coached his son in soccer and baseball, his daughter in softball. Both kids followed him into the practice of law, with his son joining his father’s practice. He was a loving Papa to his grandchildren--he danced the polka with them, taught them chess, and loved watching them play sports. He never missed Sunday Mass, but he’d never claim to be a saint (but probably would say that he married one). He is survived by his wife Joanne, his children Michelle Thresher Taylor and John Jude Thresher, his daughter-in-law Kim Thresher, his grandchildren Nolan Thresher and Jake Taylor, and nine siblings. A memorial Mass will be held on Friday, Nov. 18, 2016, at 10 a.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church in Tampa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any memorial contributions be made to Christ the King Catholic Church (821 S. Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33609) or to the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation (In Memory of Joseph Thresher c/o Chester H. Ferguson Law Center, 1610 N. Tampa St., Tampa FL 33602). Please write “In Memory of Joseph Thresher” on the check’s memo line.