Joe was not only my colleague but my friend. I met Joe when I joined the Canadian project.  He welcomed me to the project, invited me to dinner with the team and made me feel part of the team.  Joe was the type of person who people respected.  He was always polite in his East Texas ways, calling people sir and ma'am.  But under that politeness was someone who had no issues telling you what he really thought and when you were wrong, he had a funny way of pointing it to you.  The words might have taken a while to sink in, but you just remember his words and laughed afterward.  

He was greatly respected by clients and peers as a person who been there done that.  Because of his skills, clients would trust Joe and realized they needed him.  We were in Edmonton, Alberta going live with the Canadian western group. Joe walked into the work room one morning and noticed there was no coffee.  For those who know Joe – he didn’t work without his coffee in the morning.  Joe looked around and told the 50 people in the room to stop working since if there is no coffee there is no work. Within 30 minutes someone ran to Tim Horton’s and got boxes of coffee, including one just for Joe.  He took care of everyone. 

The most memorable Joe moment was during the last round of go lives for the Canadian project.  We were in Toronto, having the daily meeting with the client.  one of the resources from the client in charge of go live was presenting his plan.  Joe after listening to this for 10 minutes , spoke up and told him his plan was pure fantasy.  He complained he worked hard and an argument ensued.  Being we were in Canada, the client VP tried to calm the situation and have his resource and Joe to apologize to each other.  I will never forget Joe looking at him and telling him, quote “ I am deeply sorry, you’re a dumbass and for that I apologize”.  Needless to say that was not the answer the VP was looking for but realized that Joe wasn’t going to give up and left it at that.

I will miss my conversations with Joe, his wisdom, humor, and views of the world.  Joe may you rest in peace in a better place knowing you touched many lives. You are unforgettable and thank you for being my friend.

My best condolenses.  - Thomas Imirowicz