Joel was a great mentor, I enjoyed our time in Japan.

Kemper brought many wonderful people together, Joel was truly one of them.  A quality guy and a lot of fun...the Backdoor and the non-PC Kemper MEN'S Club provided great venues to get to know him better.

My thoughts and prayers to Janet and family.

Ken Lerch

It was a pleasure working with Joel at Kemper and had several fun "work" meetings at the Back Door.  My condolences to the family on Joel's passing.

Joel was one of the first standup insurance professionals I met when I came into the insurance industry fresh out of high school.  Nobody at Kemper Insurance at the time was a stranger to Joel. He had a way of making everyone feel comfortable and could capture a room with his presence.  The Back Door days we all had fun if Joel was there.  RIP Joel and my sincere condolences to Janet & the family.

It was a pleasure working with Joel at Kemper.  Even though it has been decades since we last worked  together I'll always remember his kindness and gentlemanly spirit.  He had a knack of bringing people together.   My prayers and thoughts go out to his family.

Joe Kowalski

Dear Janet and Family, my deepest sympathy on the loss of Joel. I will always remember him from our high school days at Eastwood and at our 50th high school reunion how he joined old friends to reminisce. He had a good life with many years of work and travel. His family was blessed as were any who knew him, including me. Prayers and thoughts are with you and may all of your sweetest memories keep him close in your hearts.

I  worked at Kemper  Insurance with Joel going back to the 1970s when he handled the Hudson Valley region.  Joel was always extremely pleasant to deal with.  He had a great sense of humor. Always made people feel good.  My deepest condolences to out to Janet and Joel's entire family. 

I worked with Joel for many years at Kemper. He was a good man, a true insurance professional, and the kind of coworker to be treasured. My thoughts and prayers to his family.God bless.

Dear Janet,Lexie and family, So sorry to learn of Joel's passing.  I feel blessed to have had you all in my life, and I have fond memories of the three of you. Trust your memories will help you through this difficult time.
Fondly,  Debbie O'Shea 

Dear Janet and family,
Allen and I read of Joel's passing in today's Post Standard. Very sorry for your loss. I always enjoyed being with Joel, either at work or having a good time. We remember New Years Eve at the Hotel Syracuse, the Beach Boys and others concert in the mud at the State Fair grounds. Flying to Chicago, sitting next to him and finding out about his fear of flying. His dressing up as Santa for the Keeper Christmas play.  My favorite memory is going to a Yankee game with him. We made an agency visit in the morning and heading for the Stadium got into a massive traffic jam, we parked the company car on a Bronx sidestreet got out and changed from our suits to jeans and tee shirts trough our suits into the trunk and got to the game before the first pitch! The Bronx neighbors must of thought we were nuts.
Remember the good times. 
Our heart felt condolences, Jim and Allen Campbell.

Janet - I am so sorry to hear of Joel's passing.  I have so many fond memories of Joel and you, Kemper and the "Back Door".  Joel and I shared many a "birth month" together!  My thoughts and prayers are with you.  Karen

My sincere sympathies for your loss.  I worked with Joel for many years at Kemper, always smiling and congenial.  May his memory be eternal. 

Joel was always cheerful, as he had a way of finding the humor in nearly every situation.   Joel would have been a terrific teacher as he freely shared his knowledge and insights.   My life is more balanced and richer for having known him, even though it was only at Kemper Insurance.

Joel was one of a kind, we have so many great memories over the years. 
He was always the life of the party.  Was a true wine enthusiast. 
Joel was a great friend and will be truly missed.
Our heartfelt condolences to Janet and her family.
Love Mary , and Ken Jones

Janet and Family, 
My heartfelt sympathy are with you. Joel was a bright light. He was a Boss, friend and listened well. He was devilish, which made him fun to be be with. He had a heart of gold and was kind. 
He has left a great legacy to his family and friends. May God Bless you all and may you find comfort with your memories. 

Jan Klodowski 

Our dear Uncle Joel.  He was always a bright spot in our family and we enjoyed the times we spent together.  Whether it was in Syracuse, Chicago, Arizona or Michigan, we treasured the company of Aunt Janet and Uncle Joel.  We will always have a special place in our hearts for Uncle Joel.  He will be deeply missed.

Love, 
Greg, LeeAnn, Christopher, and Kimberly 



Heaven got a good one this week. Joel was a great man, a great father-in-law ... always full of life, kindness, generosity, & humor. 

Time spent with Joel was always fun - so many laughs & fond memories.

It was a true blessing he was with his family in the finals days and moments and I witnessed first hand his strength and bravery. 

RIP, Joel. Cheers to you on your promotion to Glory. We are all missing you, and better off from knowing you. 

I only knew Joel for three years as an “Arizona friend,” and I am so sorry that our friendship has come to an end.  No
more trips to Dodger games in his Jaguar, no more listening to his interesting stories, no more of his quips about his IPERS friends, no more rounds of golf, no more late night texts about Dodger games when I was watching in Iowa and he in New York, no more conversations about the Dave Robicheaux books of James Lee Burke.  Joel was a very bright, kind, engaging man with a signature laugh who was always a joy to be around.  I loved the guy and really miss him.

I was deeply saddened to learn about Joel’s passing. 

I met first Joel as a business colleague, but we became good friends sharing wonderful moments through the years. I will always remember him as a decent and noble man who opened his heart, family, and home to me. 

We had the opportunity to travel together. I remember how well he knew Tokyo, but also, together we discover Paris and San Francisco. Once, we had a great trip to Sonoma, where I learnt from his plentiful knowledge about wine. 

So many times, and in so many places, we shared a glass of wine, it was always a discovery of something new he had found, and always with the same camaraderie, sharing a good laugh (Joel’s was always contagious) and having a good time. 

I remember Joel letting me help him to build a deck in his Crystal Lake home. I learnt about inches and feet, drills and saws and he graciously allowed me to set some of the planks, which I am certain he removed afterwards to do it properly. But the important part was to finish the workday and share again, a cold beer with a good friend. 

We also had good rides in some of his cars. He collected them for the good memories and was proud to share them with friends. But the greatest thing were the colors, yellow, orange, and red I remember, full of life, just like him. 

I still have great memories of the last time I saw him. He opened again his home and we toasted for the good old times and for the future to come. My wife, Heidi, and I left that day thinking how fortunate we were to have met such an amazing person and have had, along with his wonderful wife, Janet, the blessing of his friendship.

You will be missed good friend, but always remembered. 



We have been fortunate to know Joel and Janet during our winter stays in AZ. While the time might have been short, our memories are vivid.  He will truly be missed, but great memories will live on. Joel was wise, worldly and witty! He could talk with substance on nearly any topic (particularly exotic cars, jazz, Dodger baseball, how much he saved daily with his solar panels [!], and what the stock market was doing to his portfolio). Always with a twinkle in his eye! We so enjoyed the conversations over wine or a sampling of "brown". Janet, we are sending you and your family all our positive thoughts and best wishes for the strength necessary to work through the sorrow and focus on those inspirational  eternal memories.

Joel was a great guy who always saw the bright side in everything. I enjoyed working with him in Syracuse, he will be missed. Godspeed, my friend!

Many memories of Joel but the one that sticks in my mind is the four of us playing cards in the kitchen of my townhouse.  We had the TV on while we played because an SU basketball game was on, maybe vs Georgetown. You didn’t have kids yet but I had Joey sleeping upstairs.  It must have been 1979 or 1980, a long time ago. Good times. 

Janet and family, 
So sorry for your loss. Joel was an inspiration to many of us at Kemper. His smile was contagious and will always be remembered for caring and taking time to coach others. But most importantly, he made us laugh! Great guy and glad to have known him.
Sincerely, 

Rosanne C Fallon

I loved Joel so much, he was a kind and generous man who was always there to help those in need.  He was especially generous with me, as we had a special bond as Janet’s twin.  I’ll always remember his laugh, sense of humor, intelligence, and his love of life.  I will cherish the wonderful memories we shared, and am grateful to have been a part of his life.  He will be terribly missed.  

Joel...a great brother, a great friend. Generous in spirit and in deed. Miss you greatly. 
—Peter and Kristin

Joel was one of the sweetest, generous and caring men I have ever had the pleasure to have known.  The gates to heaven will welcome him with open arms.
Love and peace to the entire family, especially my dear friend, Janet. ❤️🙏

Janet and family, 
Our sincere and heartfelt sympathy. Sending hugs and love. Your memories will always be with you. 
Donna and Bob Ruth 


OBITUARY

Joel C. Walcott

September 13, 1946 – September 16, 2020

Surprise Funeral Care

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