Joe Weierke, age 30, of Chaska, passed away surrounded by his family on Easter Sunday, March 27, 2016. A visitation will be held on Thursday, April 7, 2016 from 9-11AM with a Memorial Service beginning at 11AM all at Pax Christi Catholic Community, 12100 Pioneer Trail, Eden Prairie. Deacon Al Schroeder will preside. Joe’s sister, Kristi, and brothers, Matthew and Luke, will be urn bearers.
On November 13, 1985 Mary (Hedstrom) and Bob Weierke celebrated the birth of their youngest child, Joseph Paul Weierke. As the baby of the family, Mary worried Joe would be spoiled, especially by his brother Luke who doted over him. Yet Joe grew to be a kind person who always put others before himself despite the obstacles he faced in life.
While accompanying Mary to a physical therapy appointment, the doctor noticed something amiss with Joe’s gait. At age six a diagnosis was given, Joe had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Joe was a fighter. He survived many long hospital stays with pneumonia at St. Paul Children’s Hospital. His family will be forever grateful for the loving care he received there. Joe continued to walk unassisted until the age of nine.
During his school days, Joe was shy, often keeping to himself and his studies. His teachers and paras always encouraged Joe’s education. When it came time for Joe’s high school graduation, he worried there wouldn’t be people to cheer when he accepted his diploma. Unbeknownst to Joe, he had a cheering section. Joe was astonished when he heard the seemingly endless applause from his former and current teachers, paras, and classmates.
For the past 22 years, Joe’s favorite pastime was attending car shows with family. He could identify the make, model, and year by a car’s head lights. Matthew and Bob would take Joe to car dealerships to test drive the vehicles. Often, Joe knew more about the cars than the salesman. Joe also enjoyed attending concerts with his mom and going out on the pontoon and going for long walks with family and friends.. Spending time with family was important to Joe. When he was granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Joe choose to take his family on a vacation.
Within the past four years, Joe decided to become more social. He quickly became acquainted with his neighbors, always stopping to chat when he was outside. Joe was well known by the employees of Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowes—his favorite places to go with Bob. In the final days of Joe’s life, he invited friends and family to visit him. He encouraged them not to worry or cry for him. Joe told his family if he had to live his life over again, he’d take the same one, even if it meant being sick, because it made his family stronger and more connected.
Joe was a kind, compassionate, and positive person. He will be deeply missed by his parents, Mary (Hedstrom) and Bob Weierke; siblings, Kristi Weierke, Matt (Amanda King) Weierke, and Luke (Katie) Weierke; nephews and nieces, Brandon, Brianna, Angelo, Alyssa, Weston, and Wyatt; grandmother, Maragret Hedstrom; many other loving relatives and friends. Joe is preceded in death by his grandfather, Earl Hedstrom, and grandparents, Mildred and Paul Weierke.
The Weierke family extends a special thank you to Paul Holmes and Pam Hanson for their support and encouragement over the years. Dan, Marcia and Mike at Rehab Designs, we will forever love you for your immediate response to Joe’s wheelchair needs and your friendship. He loved you so much. Dan Cleve, his home respiratory therapist, for helping him through many difficult times. Gary Dungey for the amazing trips you made possible for Joe.
Joe and his family were truly blessed to have exceptional doctors caring for him during his journey. A very special thanks to Doctors Ann Dunnigan, Stephen Smith, Paul Kubic, Jospeph Kandiko and Rolland Pistuka for their loving care throughout his life. We also want to thank his homecare nurses, Rachael, Phoebe, Jenny and all those along the way, who came to be like family.
