Joseph Eugene Minor

JOSEPH EUGENE MINOR lived his life being absolutely true to himself and his family, and he did the same in his passing from this world on April 8, 2016. He was at peace, he was unafraid, and he had big plans for when he would "break on through to the other side." Joe is survived by the love of his life, Carol, his wife of nearly 34 years, his daughter Lena Pound Minor, his son Lucas Pound Minor, the cats, and his longtime girlfriend the Pacific Ocean. He also leaves behind his extended Pound family and many close friends in California, Oregon and Colorado whom he considers family. Joe was born on January 24, 1953 in Albany, California. He grew up in El Cerrito, California with his parents, John "Jack" W. Minor and Millicent O. (Williams) Minor and his brothers John "Jackie" and Terrence "Terry." All of them preceded Joe in death so he will be reconnecting with them soon. As a child, Joe spent many hours fishing in the Bay and lakes with his dad, and rock and fossil hunting across the Western states. As a youngster, Joe built relationships with professors of paleontology and geology at UC Berkeley who shared his passion, and who brought him in as a guest lecturer. He also had a passion for marine biology and over the years was dubbed "Mr. Science" because of his vast knowledge and enthusiasm for the sciences. Joe attended Hayward State University, Humboldt State University and University of Oregon, eventually earning his bachelor's degree in Psychology so that he could continue working in the building and construction trades as a carpenter, contractor, small business owner, and home inspector. In 1982 Joe married Carol in the front yard of their funky little house in Eugene, Oregon where they lived until they moved to California in 1985. Though relocation to Fresno was a professional career move for his wife, a couple years later they were able to move to Aptos - near the ocean where he felt at home. Joe learned to scuba dive, he dove for abalone, and went fishing in the boat his dad gave him as often as possible. He cooked the best seafood you've ever had in your life. In 1989 Joe became a father, and the family of three moved to Petaluma in 1995, where they added one more child to the family in 1997. Joe was a wonderful father who loved his children unconditionally, and who taught them to live an authentic life and be true to themselves. Joe was our spiritual redneck, an iconoclast, irreverent and wonderfully weird. He was known for his outrageous sense of humor and his incredibly keen insight and knowledge about the world and how it works. There never has been nor will there ever be another like him. He will be loved and missed forever, until we meet up with him on the other side. In the meantime, we hold him in our hearts and our memories and know that he is with us. The family prefers contributions be made to COTS, P.O. Box 2744, Petaluma, CA 94953 in memory of Joseph Minor. The family will host a celebration of Joe's life on April 30 at their home in Petaluma. Family assisted by PARENT-SORENSEN MORTUARY & CREMATORY, Petaluma. Celebration of Life

At the Family Residence

Saturday, April 30, 2016 , Directions