Joseph John Lopiccola was born in Detroit on August 1st, 1942, as the first of three sons to Gaetano (Tom) and Catherine (Kay) Lopiccola. He learned his hard work ethic from his dad and spent many years helping his father on the fruit truck, but got his kind and loving spirit from his mother. His love of sports started young, when he would hide out under the bleachers after Tigers games waiting for the team to come out so he could get all the best autographs. His love for football was a driving force throughout his young life. He played half-back for Wayne State University and went on to play for a few years on a semi-pro team in Detroit. Years later, he could still cut like a pro and put that skill to good use playing chase with his two children. They never once caught him.
Joe met the love of his life, Carolyn Elizabeth Hillis, on a blind date on April 4, 1968. They were married on December 28th, 1968 in Logansport, Indiana. Together they shared 51 good years, lots of laughs, a love of travel, 2 children, and several dogs. He was her rock, and her best friend.
Joe worked extremely hard to support his family, sometimes working 3 jobs at the same time. He was a math teacher at Denby High School. He worked in several areas of financial services and always had “one more call” to make. Joe stayed positive and motivated by following the advice of many great motivational speakers, including Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins. He was extremely intelligent, loved a good debate and had a funny surprisingly dry sense of humor. Joe was an avid billiards player and fitness enthusiast throughout his life. He was a runner, ran several marathons and numerous 5Ks. He continued going to the gym several times a week through most of his retirement. He tried to share his love of exercise and running with his less than enthusiastic family, frequently saying that it “makes you feel better when you’re done”.
After retirement, Joe and Carolyn loved to travel together, spend time with their grandchildren, and enjoy their traditional “5 o’clock” glass of red wine together. In 2017, they moved from Detroit to Columbus, Ohio, to be closer to their daughter and her family. Joe’s positive outlook on life, and wise advice, were shared generously with those he loved. His advice included, “marriage is like a roller coaster, hold on and it will go back up”, “buy term and invest the difference”, and, most frequently, “look for the good”. He was also extremely competitive and would do his best to win whether it was a football game, pool tournament, or playing Monopoly against his children or grandchildren (he always managed to get Boardwalk and Park Place).
A long battle with Lewy Body Dementia stole almost everything from him, but never took away his gentle and loving manner. Joe died on April 16, 2020, from Covid-19. He was survived by his wife Carolyn, son Alan, daughter Helen (Brian), two beloved grandchildren Abigail and Avery, and his brothers Tom (Nancy) and Steve (MaryAnn). Due to the ongoing pandemic, a memorial service is not currently planned.
