Biography
IN MEMORY
JOSEPH ARTHUR “JOE” GAUTSCH
June 18, 1952 ~ November 14, 2011
Cody, Wyoming
Age: 59 years, 4 months, 26 days
MEMORIAL MASS
10:00 AM Saturday, November 19, 2011
Church of St. Anthony, Cody, Wyoming
Father Vernon Clark, Officiating
Whitney Koontz, Organist
Jonene Geile, Cantor
Joanne Adkins, First Reading,
Judy McAteer, Second Reading
Joanne Adkins, Responsorial Psalm
Father Vernon Clark, Gospel
HYMNS
“Amazing Grace” ~ “On Eagle’s Wings”
“I Am the Bread of Life”
“Song of Farewell” ~ “How Great Thou Art”
HONORARY PALLBEARERS
Travis Wells ~ Dave Flores
Stetson Nielson ~ Scott Gautsch
Cody, WY – Joseph Arthur “Joe” Gautsch Jr., 59, died November 14, 2011 at West Park Hospital in Cody, WY after a short illness.
Joseph Arthur “Joe” Gautsch Jr. was born June 18, 1952 in Cody, Wyoming, the son of Dr. Joseph and Lucina (Williams) Gautsch. He attended schools in Cody and graduated 1970. Joe then went on to Arizona State University, where he obtained a BA in Anthropology.
In 1975, Joe married Debbie Edwards in Cody, Wyoming. From 1976-79, he was in the U.S. Army, 3rd Infantry Division, Medical Corps, in Wurzberg, Germany. After the army, he lived in Idaho, where he obtained a nursing degree in 1978. Joe worked as an acute care nurse at St. Joseph Hospital in Lewiston, Idaho. After moving back to Wyoming, he worked at various medical facilities, including West Park Hospital, Northern Wyoming Surgical Center, and the Wyoming Retirement Center in Basin, Wyoming.
In 2004, Joe married Sandra Sears. They enjoyed seven wonderful years together.
Joe loved animals. He was in awe of the unconditional love they provided. Whether he was gone for five minutes or five days, his dogs were always happy to see him. Joe also loved Volkswagens. He was constantly working on his 1972 Super Beetle, which was always in a state of disrepair. Joe was still working on it up to a week ago.
Joe always had a kind word to say about everyone. He loved watching people. They held a fascination for him. Joe was constantly wondering why people acted the way they did. His favorite motto was “Life is fun”. Also, Joe had a fierce love for his family. If they would have told him they wanted the moon, he would have figured out how to join NASA so he could get it for them. Joe had his Dad’s dry sense of humor. He loved laughter and tried to enjoy every day he lived.
Joe is survived by his wife, Sandra of Cody; son, Scott (Janel) of Denver, CO, daughter, Kristin (Dave) Flores of Laramie, WY, daughter, Julia Gautsch of Denver, CO, daughter, Hannah (Travis) Wells of Laramie, WY, daughter, Leah (Stetson) Nielson of Cody; grandchildren, Eric, Andrew, Meadow, Lily, Madison, and Calvin; brother, Jim (Betsey) Gautsch of Solana Beach, CA, sister, Judy (Jim) McAteer of Seattle, WA; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and many good friends. He was preceded in death by his mother and father, and his paternal and maternal grandparents.
In lieu of flowers, donation may be made to the Park County Animal Shelter. Cards can be sent to P.O. Box 1992, Cody, WY.
Remembrance of a Brother
I remember being somewhat irritated that while in the 4th grade my Mom gave birth to a son named Joseph Gautsch jr. The kid was as any kid i suppose is, an irritant to someone whose attention gets diluted. Actually, the irritation was minor, i simply didn't pay any attention to him. I was busy with my life. So while I was in high school Joe was just starting school. And after I left high school and went away to college he was only about 8 years old. So I guess I really didn't get to know him as a brother - as brothers closer in age get to know one one another. After leaving home I really never came back to Cody except to visit and when I did there was this kid running around doing crazy things, most of which seemed to involve gunpowder. I got the impression that he was an expert in blowing things up with firecrackers and then the bigger stuff. He and some of his friends, Mark Taggart and Tommy Brolin (i'm guessing here, it may not have been them at all) I think were in cahoots in those activities. I don't think they did any serious damage but the impression was - don't ask - and they didn't offer any explanation. They were busy. When I married that Texas woman, Betsey Clark in '66, Joe was 13 at the time and came to the modest wedding in Denver and took over the chore of fixing the getaway car. He painted it all over and had so many cans and other things trailing after it we could barely drive it over 20 miles per hour. He did a great job on that. You could tell he was proud of that job-well-done. So it went through the years. We would see Joe when we ran into him in Cody visits. After our Mom died he would come visit us with Dad once a year for several years. He and Dad traveled to several places and were great friends. And this past March Joe and Sandra and Bets and I and Judy and Jim and all the Gautsch cousins met in Tucson to get to know each other. The oldest of the cousins is basically 80 and Joe was 59, the youngest - I guess we could have done that sort of thing a little earlier because we realize, maybe a little late, that we really enjoy each other’s company.
I remember Joe as a quiet gentle person who loved us almost as much as we loved him - we miss him alot.
--Jim Gautsch
Facts
Born: June 18, 1952
Place of Birth: Cody, Wyoming
Death: November 14, 2011
Place of Death: Cody, Wyoming
Services
Memorial Mass
Saturday
November 19, 2011, 10:00 AM
at
Church of St. Anthony
Click for Map and Directions
Donations
Memorial donations may be made to:
Park County Animal Shelter