Joseph ‘Joe’ Vincent Riordan of Prior Lake, MN passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and his dedicated caregivers on January 30, 2024, at the age of 96.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, April 19, 2024 at 11AM with a Time of Gathering from 10-10:45AM all at St. Michael Catholic Church, 16400 Duluth Ave SE, Prior Lake. Father Tom Walker presiding. Joseph will be laid to rest at Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California at a later date.
Guests may also join via live streaming by visiting stmichael-pl.org and clicking on the live stream link.
Joe was the son of Eva Jane Hart Riordan and was the proud big brother to Rita.
Joe attended grade school at St. Stephens in Minneapolis. He attended high school at De La Salle High School in Minneapolis graduating in 1945. He entered the Navy in 1945 as a Radio Technician. The GI Bill funded his college education which he began at the University of St. Thomas and finished at the University of Minnesota in 1950 with a degree in Electrical Engineering. While in college, he worked for the University of Minnesota radio station KUOM.
In 1952, he married the love of his life, Jean after meeting on a blind date. They were married for 72 years where they tackled the challenge of raising 8 children. He was fiercely devoted to his family, and nothing brought him greater joy.
After graduation, he worked for Sylvania Electric in Boston. He held this job for one month but missed his sweetheart Jean, and returned to Minnesota where he found a job with Honeywell. He was a dedicated employee of Honeywell for 39 years. He spent the majority of his career working with missile defense systems. He worked at the Minneapolis Honeywell Headquarters until he was transferred to California in 1955. He lived in California for 25 years and was transferred back to Minnesota in 1979 where he worked until he retired in 1989. He loved his career with Honeywell and often referred to being “lucky” to work for a company that he loved. He traveled extensively with Honeywell and enjoyed exploring the world. After retirement, he and Jean continued traveling. They took many trips overseas and enjoyed several cruises. Their favorite trips were in their motorhome exploring the United States.
Joe was a devoted Catholic and was extremely ecumenical in the way he lived his life. He was loving and accepting of others. He never stopped learning and was incredibly intelligent. Joe always told his children to leave the world a better place, Joe most certainly did.
Joe is survived by wife of 72 years, Jean; children, Shaun (Leland) Smith, Colleen (Dennis) Botto, Brian (Polly) Riordan, Jodie (Howard) Ilg, Tom (Karen) Riordan, and Erin (Dan) Edwards; 16 grandchildren, Nathan, Jacob, Ashley, Hailey, Austin, Joey, Kelly, Doug, Jeff, Tracy, Brian, Bart, Traylene, Trevor, Logan, and Cole;10 great grandchildren with 4 on the way; Heaven-sent caregivers, Dawn, Mary, Stella, Jane, Beth, Dina, and Krista; and other loving family, friends, and neighbors.
Joe is greeted in Heaven by children, Kevin and Tracy; mom, Eva; and sister, Sr Rita Riordan.
