Obituary of Joseph Queen

Joseph A. Queen of Woburn, April 4. Beloved husband of 54 years of Frances R. (Milak). Loving brother of William and Richard both of Woburn, Donna and George both of Burlington and the late Mary Essigmann, Anne Patterson, Dorothy LaTulippe and Joyce Queen. Also survived by many brother-in-laws, sister-in-laws, nieces & nephews. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Wednesday, April 7 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Tuesday 4-8 p.m. Interment in Woodbrook Cemetery, Woburn. Uncle Joe by his niece Lisa Martin Good Morning and on behalf of Joe’s family I thank you all for coming today. It means a great deal to all of us While preparing this I thought what should I say about Uncle Joe? What can I say that would be deserving and uphold the pride that he had so earned? I kept coming up with things like…. “Well, he’s as famous for his truck as Scott Brown”,.. and I thought I have to do better than that so, hopefully this will do him justice. I’d like to start by reading a poem which I believe reveals how well Joe lived his life ..you may have heard it…The Dash by Linda Ellis which I have modified slightly. There was a woman who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend She referred to the dates on his tombstone From the beginning to the end She noted that first came the date of his birth And spoke the following date with tears But she said what mattered most of all Was the dash between those years For that dash stands for all the time That he spent alive on earth. And now only those who loved him Know what that little line is worth. For it matters not how much we own; The cars the house the cash What matters is how we live and love And how we spend our dash. So think about this long and hard. Are there things you'd like to change? For you never know how much time is left That can still be rearranged. If we could just slow down enough To consider what's true and real And always try to understand The way other people feel. We'd be less quick to anger And show appreciation more And love the people in our lives Like we've never loved before. If we treat each other with respect And more often wear a smile Remembering that this special dash Might only last a little while. So when your eulogy is being read With your lifes actions to rehash Would you be proud of the things they say About how you spent your dash? Cause that dash stands for all the time That you spent alive on earth And only those who loved you Know what that little line is worth It matters not how much you own The cars the house the cash What matters is how you live and love And how you spend your dash And so, Joe’s dash has come to an end and many are now missing him . He fought the fight but, he has not lost because his suffering has ended, and he is safely in the hands of God and other loved ones. And what better day than on Easter the celebration of the resurrection and ascending of Jesus Christ? We can keep him close with our memories of him…whether it be from his childhood, picturing him in his truck as he beeps driving by,… as “Thin Man” which was his CB handle, as a driving instructor, meeting him for breakfast at Cousins, watching his face light up when the right country song played, enjoying him and Auntie Frannie “discussing” how to do things and watching the true love they shared. We all have our own memories so hold onto them In remembrance of Joe, who I normally refer to as Uncle Joe I would like to summarize some of his dash which spell out UNCLE JOE:: U-understanding of everyone and their situations. So much so that when you were telling him whatever was going on at the time he could practically anticipate not only what you were about to say but how you were feeling too He trusted in people’s innocence, and knew we all make mistakes. We were told of a story yesterday that when Joe was 10 years old he lent his bike to a friend, but, he told the friend to be careful because the brakes didn’t work. Needless to say the bike crashed and was ruined, but, when Joe learned of this he wasn’t upset, instead he asked, “Well are you alright? That’s all I care about.” N-Nashville, not only for his love of country music, but because some of his best vacation memories happened there. He enjoyed spending time with those he loved. He loved to travel and he would always be the driver…. taking trips to Yogi Bear Park in New Hampshire, Canada, Milwaukee to Pennsylvania. And how lucky to be stationed in a paradise like Hawaii while in the Air Force C-Cook! He was proud to have been the cook there in Hawaii too, and I think he must have been really good because he had a great critique of the hospital food. And I cannot leave out caring which brings me to.. L-Love for his friends, his family, Auntie Frannie, and of course car racing. Additionally, he was a very loyal and dedicated person no matter what he was doing. He was a true gentleman. He chased down a blanket left on a plane …almost missing a connecting flight for his young niece Theresa who would be quite sad if she had lost it, he was always there when you needed him ..and you didn’t even have to ask, .....he would do anything he could to help E-for excitement; because he was as excited and proud of my childrens’ accomplishments as I was, and I know for many others as well. He gladly attended the father /daughter dance with Annemarie, not once but twice. He may have had no children of his own but you would think he had a million because he kept tabs on what everyone was up to and loved doing it. J- I have to go with joker and the smile that he wore when he just delivered a smooth joke that only half the people who heard it even realized he had made. And when my cousin Cindy walked into visit him with a very vibrant pink coat on and she said “Hi Uncle Joe”, he replied, “ Well we couldn’t miss you in a crosswalk!” He was quick with them too. Always in good fun. In fact, I’m sure he’s wondering still if Billy brought the check! O-for observant ..he didn’t miss a trick !. I recall one day in the hospital Joe was telling one of the nurses how he served with the air force in Hawaii. He was still wary from surgery and maybe a little discouraged…to lighten the situation I asked, “Was that in 1941?” See, he wasn’t the only joker….but, he quickly turned to me and said “What?!” with a big grin on his face, he knew I was teasing him. E brings me to Everyone- just as you can see by the outpouring of people today, Joe was loved by everyone he knew…. from his family, buddies he grew up with, and those he met along the way whether it be through work, clubs he belonged to, the races, right down to the nurses that helped care for him. He even had the head chef coming to check in on him frequently. I don’t think a day went by over the past few months that someone didn’t say, “He’s such a sweet man, a good friend, he’s so easy to get along with, what a nice guy!” Everyone loved him that knew him . Uncle Joe. We love You and God Bless You. Thank You