Joseph "Joe" Andriunas

Dad wasn't one for being the center of attention, but he could sit down at a bar and, over the course of one beer, make friends for a lifetime. Joe Andriunas died in Phoenix, Arizona, on August 23 at 80 years old, leaving behind a daughter, a beautiful grandson, and a legacy of love, resilience, and friendship.

Dad was born in Augsburg, Germany, as his family made their way from Lithuania to America, arriving through Ellis Island at the young age of four. He was proud of his history from being a Lithuanian immigrant growing up on a farm in Upstate New York to serving as “Sergeant Andy” in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division.

Dad was a true renaissance man. He wrote poetry, appreciated world history, fixed cars, built plumbing lamps (don’t ask), and was always tinkering with something. His passion for airplanes led to a 50-plus-year career in aviation, eventually retiring from Delta. He rode Harleys and loved road trips, camping, hiking, music, Western movies, and the Arizona desert. He should have been a cowboy.

Mostly, Dad loved people. He was charming and kind and quick to laugh. He loved his family and all of his friends, including his two best friends, Tim Anderson and Curly Leyva. I always thought of them as the “Three Musketeers”, a constant presence when I was growing up.

Some of my best memories are camping at Canyon Lake when I was Daddy’s little tomboy. As I got older, we would instead listen to music and sit around the fire, talking and laughing until we cried. Dad was someone you could just exist with.

He is survived by me, his daughter Courtney; his grandson, Aiden, whom he adored; his brother, Larry; his sister, Silva; and a whole lot of people who loved him.

After 80 years of adventures on this earth, he is finally riding off into the Arizona sunset. Free again.

We'll celebrate Dad's life in early 2027. Details to come. We will tell stories and raise a beer.