This was one of the coolest kids i've ever met while living in montana. We had a lot of good times together, and now im very sad that it has to come to an end. Joel died saturday, May 12th in an airplane crash. He was a skydive instructor up at lost praire, and some say he died doing what he loved to do. I dont think he loved burning to death in a plane that was engulfed in flames, but thats just being nit picky. He loved the freedom that came along with skydiving, and he loved sharing that feeling with others. Its a real shame that we had to lose him. Joel was 25 when he died.
The funeral was crazy. There was over 500 people there, and they had to have the fire marshall come to make sure everyone stayed safe, as we more than filled the occupancy limit of the little Glacier Church. We all miss joel very much, and will till the end of our days. Rest in peace brother, we love you.
2 comments:
Hi Mat, thank you for writing this post about our dear Joel. I don't know if you are still in the Flathead, but if so, ask any of Joel's friends and you can get in touch with me, ok? I'm glad you remember Joel so well, thankful you were his friend, and appreciative you were at his celebration of life. It hurts to have him gone, yet while I ache I know Joel's soul soars. Joel's Mom Gail
I first met Joel at the Kalispell Children's Theater. He was easily recognized as a quick wit and love to keep us entertained with his sense of humor as we rehearsed lines in the basement of an old church. He was always self-effacing about his abilities, but had a lot of talent. I remember his role singing "Ain't Misbehaving" in "Give My Regards to Broadway" best. After elementary, we went to the same schools. We both took an experimental "SIMS" math class with the ninth grade as eight graders. We often worked together playing probability games and programming our TI-82 calculators. Joel had some great games that he made and uploaded to my calculator. As I recall, he didn't finish high school, but I saw him at his double-wide trailer and senior keg anyway. I feel sad to learn of this tragedy five years posthumously.
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