At the age of 77, Joseph “Joe” C. Pahl passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, at his home in Jordan, MN.
A time of gathering will be on Sunday, June 4, from 4-7 pm, at Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation 104 West First Street, Jordan, MN and one hour prior to the Memorial Service on Monday, June 5 at 11 am, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church 313 E. 2 nd St, Jordan. Deacon Al Schroeder will preside. A private family interment at St. John’s Calvary Cemetery. Memorials are preferred and will be distributed in Joe’s memory by the family.
Joseph Claude Pahl was born March 16,1940 in Bloomington, MN to Theodore and Lorraine (Hawkins) Pahl. Joe’s early days were spent on a vegetable farm near 494 and Lyndale prior to any freeways. At the age of 14, he joined the Novitiate for the Christian Brothers in Glencoe, Missouri, where he completed his high school education in 1958. The entire group of Christian Brothers then attended St Mary’s University in Winona, MN. He graduated in 1962 with a teaching degree in Mathematics.
His teaching career began in Quincy, IL as a high school math teacher. He moved back to MN and taught at Brady High School in West St Paul for 8 years. While teaching at Brady, he attended Stout University in WI and attained a degree in Industrial Arts. Joe loved to teach geometry and industrial arts and coached cross country and the ski club.
In the fall of 1968 he met his future wife, Jeanne. They met at Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis while Jeanne was his nurse. Their relationship began with Jeanne dutifully caring for him at his bedside then, and ended with a deep love in the same way.
Joe and Jeanne were married on June 13th, 1970 at Assumption Church in Richfield, MN. In 1974, Joe ended his teaching career, moved to Jordan, and purchased Louisville Landfill in Shakopee from his father. The business expanded over the years with the addition of Dem-Con Landfill and South Metro Sort and Recycle. During this time, their family also expanded by being blessed with six children. Joe continued operating both businesses with honesty, integrity, and hard work until his heart attack and brain injury in 2000.
Joe’s life outside of the waste business was centered around his family. He took his family on many adventures trudging through the ravines near their home, usually with a child on his shoulders. Many weekends were spent at the family cabin waterskiing, landscaping projects and sitting around the campfire. Family trips were always an interesting experience traveling around the US in a pop-up camper. Joe was an avid skier and passed on his sense of fun and adventure by serving on the ski patrol at Welch Village and taking many ski trips with his family. Although he played countless hours of games and cards with his family, only bridge was a game he loved to play with friends.
Joe passed on numerous lessons and values to his children and others in the community. He taught a hard work ethic by raising acres of pumpkins with his kids. Serving others was demonstrated through his endless hours spent volunteering alongside his family at church and homebound ministries. Joe showed love and compassion by valuing everyone he met. His family learned that anyone he met, even once, was a Joe-buddy, a friend for life. His love for others reached out beyond his community through his leadership on many mission trips to Kentucky and throughout the world during his trips to Bolivia and Haiti. Most importantly he passed on his faith by teaching many years of religion classes and mentoring confirmation students. If his family was up early enough in the morning, Joe would be found reading the Bible and spending time in prayer. His fervent love for the Lord, and knowing he was loved in return allowed him, even in tough times and any circumstance, to always say, “I am blessed.”
He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jeanne (Felton) Pahl; children, Laura (Rich) Lucas, Sue (Jason) Haus, Bob Pahl, Nancy (Jose) Dager, Mark (Emily) Pahl, Karen (Nathan) Walkington; 17 grandchildren; siblings, Bernice Jensen, Gwen (Larry) Lawrence, John (Deb) Pahl; sister-in-law, Donna Pahl and brother-in-law, Ray Keller.
Joe is preceded in death by his parents; siblings, Sister Kenneth Pahl, LaWanda Keller, Frank Pahl and brother-in-law, Bob Jensen.
Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home and Cremation, Jordan Chapel, proudly served and cared for the Pahl family. www.ballardsunderfuneral.com
