Remembering a fantastic leader  / Greg Swallow (Colleague)
To Joey's family I met Joey on an annual training for the Air Force at Scott AFB, where he joined my squadron to train. He and I were reservists at Travis AFB. I learned today (9 Mar 13) years after we met, that Joey passed. My heart goes out to you, for the loss of such an outstanding guy. His personality and charisma helped to shape my career. I am so sorry for your loss. Gregory Swallow Close

To our beloved brother, Joe June 2, 2008  / Tammy Hall

It was 1 year ago today we lost you, our beloved brother. 

Joe, you are thought about everyday.  You are loved and missed so much.  I'm sorry we couldn't all be together today to celebrate you and the life you lived.  I hope you know that all of us are together in thoughts and spirits.  Today is a sad day for all of us. It is still hard to come to terms 1 year later how we lost you 1 year ago.  You will be in our hearts forever.    

we love and miss you,

Tammy

 

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Our Eulogy Our Tribute to Joe  / The Brothers

First, we would like to thank all of you that are here to honor Joey. It's amazing to see how many lives he has touched. We would also like to recognize some of the brothers that were unable to make it here today like Jim, Long(may he rest in peace), Roger, James, Anthony, Curtis, Monty, Mikey, and everyone else who were unable to make it here today. We know that at this very moment they are thinking of and praying for Joe and his family.

Joey was an athlete who loved to compete. From football to video games, he was naturally talented and loved to spend time with his family and friends. Joey loved to take vacations with his family and we are blessed to be able to have shared those memories with them. Joey was a hard working man. He was a devoted and loyal son, brother, husband, father, uncle, and friend.

We've been friends with Joey a very long time. It all started in 1973 when we were in the 2nd grade. That was the beginning of our circle of friendship which continued to grow throughout the years. Everything we experienced, we experienced together. We started out as boys going through little league together to becoming men and having children and families of our own. The lifelong friendship that we built together was special and unique. We hope that one day our children would be able to find a bond in their friendships as we share with Joe. No matter where we were, no matter what we were doing, we always know that we had each other. Our bond was so strong that we could go weeks, months without talking and when we finally got to see each other, it was like time had never passed. We would just pick up right where we left off.

As the years passed, we all followed our own paths, but we always knew we would come back together again. We've all had moments in our life where we suffered loss or pain, but the bond of our brotherhood gave us the strength to persevere. Although Joey has left us behind, the memories he has given us will remain in our hearts forever.

Many of you did not know Long, but Long passed away 20 years ago. We know that as Joe passed from this world to the next, Long was there at heaven's gate to greet him. It'scomforting to know our two brothers are there together and that Joey is not alone. It puts a smile on our face that our brothers will now be picking up where they left off.

We will always think of Joey when we think of our childhood, our "wonder years", our fondest memories, a lifetime of friendship. We're gonna miss you Joe.

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RPM 1983 Break Dance Group: Tony King  / Tony King (High School Friend/ Break Dance Buddy )
Last week I received a call from Anthony Hermoso who gave me the very sad new about Joey.

My memory of Joey was all very good.... I met Joey at Seaside High School in 1983 through Sammy Dela Cruz when I started a dance group named RPM (Radical Pose Masters). We would practice at least 4 days a week in the halls of Seaside High sometimes at night in the cold.

We worked very hard for about three months and on weekends we all would go the the Fishermans Wharf and Dance for tourist just to make enough money for the group to go to the movies or hang out to have fun.

Believe it or not but none of the members of RPM smoked, drank to get drunk and we've never got into any fights with anybody and there we're other break dancing groups fighting like gangs back then.

In the Summer of 1984 RPM won the Central Coast Break Dance Competition at the Monterey County Fair Grounds and we beat popular groups from San Jose, San Francisco and Oakland.

That was a very proud day for us all and stands out to be the best memory I have of Joey.

After High School I stopped dancing to become a professional drummer and continue to perform as a professional musician.



God Bless the Family...



Tony (I don't remember my break dance name) King

Class of 84 Close

My Job Interview with Joey  / Erick Sencil (friend)
Joey was my first supervisor straight out of the military.  I was 20 minutes late to my interview and I was soaked in my sweat.  He told me to calm down, take some time to gather myself, he offered me a coke.  I was very surprised that I was still hired.  I ended up working for him in San Pablo and Kaiser.  He was my mentor and helped me move up the chain in Radiology.  If it wasn't for Joey, I would still be just an x-ray technician.  Not only did I work with Joey but we became very good friends.  We played football together and he came to a few of my parties and show promotions.  Joey always took me in no matter how long we didn't speak and it would be like we never had a break in our friendship.  I will always remember my interview with Joey.  I was wearing a shirt and tie and I was soaked and he was in a lab coat just waiting for me with a big smile.  That's how I will always remember Joey: calm, cool, and with a big smile.  Rest in peace my friend.  Close

Fantasy Football and other memories  / Sidney Chan (friend)
Joey is one of the funniest guys I know. His humor made our fantasy football league lively and enjoyable.  I will always remember the late night chats we had while we worked at UC Davis Medical Center and the times we golfed in Sacramento.  I still remember him with a cigar in his mouth. Close

17 years of valued friendship  / Martin Roberts (friend)
Joey's friendship is truley priceless.  He always had advice for every situation.  Joey introduced me to sushi.  Most of our reserve weekends lunch schedules was to get sushi.  He was also the first person to give me tips on my golf game.  I'll always have our annual tour memories.  17 years of valued friendship.  Close

Like a brother  / Abel Sanabria (Air Force Companions )
Although most of our memories together were military, I've always enjoyed his company, his sense of humor, and warm smile.  Like a brother who oversaw everything he would always inform me of our team, the Raiders, and we were always there for retirement ceremonies of each of our Air Force companions.  May he rest in peace along side our beloved Lord. Close

Joey, A True Leader  / Edward Gloor (friend from the Air Force )
A man who always had a smile, cared about his family and friends, and sought out ways to make things better for everyone.  Our  Air Force years brought many of us opportunities to excel and Joey was always at the forefront -- a true leader.  A champion of those who were less fortunate and a man I truley admired. Close

Brothers / Kalan Winston (friend)
Joey had been a part of my life for over 16 years.  There has been countless amounts of times that we have shared joy and tragedy.  I recall one time we got into a fight and later that night we were hugging and laughing together.  That's what brothers do.  He will always be in my heart.  We love you Joey. Close

Best times with Joe  / Liza Mariano (friend)
The best times were always simple: getting together for food, drinks, and laughter.  It's amazing how many stories Joe has to share and seeing him relax and enjoy people in his home just showed how much he loved life and his beautiful family.  He opened up his home to everyone and always had a story to tell. Close

Memory of Joe  / Wayne Hinkel (father-in-law)
I will always remember Joey's tremendous pride in the athletic achievements of his kids.  He faithfully attended baseball, soccer, and other events to cheer them on.  Win or lose, however, Joey always had something supportive and encouraging to tell them. Close

Life changing talks  / Michael Mariano (friend)
Joe was a good friend, always cool to talk to.  I will always remember the long talks we had about family and the sacrafices necessary to provide your family with happiness and love.  I learned some life changing things from him.  I will always miss and love him. Close

Life is Precious  / Megan Mckenney (work buddy )

I did not know Joey too well, however at work he was a hard worker, compassionate and kind. He will be missed at Methodist. He spoke fondly of his beautiful family often. I do know that God works in mysterious ways and as much as I think it shouldn't of been Joey, it wasn't his time, things happen when we least expect and we should cherish every moment. From his stories I know that he lived life to the fullest, saw the world and will continue to live through our thoughts and prayers. Anna and family, my deepest sympathy to you.

Megan McKenney

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In my heart  / Caryn Gardner (Friend)
Joe Wettach was a friend to me and my family and we will miss him dearly.  In the 4 years that we knew him, we knew him to be a man who cared about his family and worked hard.  We were proud to have the pleasure of knowing him and look forward to seeing him again on a paradise earth.  His memory will never be forgotten by those who knew and loved him! Close

To our brother, Rest in Peace  / Tammy Hall (close friend/sister-in-law )
To my "bro-in-law", may you rest in peace. I'm thankful for all the wonderful memories and times our families got to spend together. The next time we all get together it will be strange without you, but I know you are watching us from above and you will be with us always. 

I can still remember when I met you and Anna for the first time, you were the last "brother" to meet. I was so nervous that you guys wouldn't like me for Michael. I was also embarrassed when I got sick at your house in Citrus Heights, you guys were great and welcomed me into your family. From then on out you and Anna became my "brother/sister in law". You and the other brothers are the closest I have to having brothers of my own and although it is hard to accept moving on without you, I know we have to be strong for one another. 

I promise you, Michael and I will do our best to be there for Anna and the kids and we will try to get together with them as often as we can. We will do our best to stay in touch with the "brothers" and take care of each other. Please know how dearly you will be missed. 

We love you Joe, Tammy, Michael, and Alyssa   Close

My Love  / Anna (wife and best friends )
When I think of Joey, I think of a great father to his 6 children, a wonderful husband who made me feel like I could do anything, a son to two wonderful loving parents, a very hard worker with the highest of standards for himself, a proud service man to his country, a devout Raider fan, and a friend, a brother, to many.

When I think of Joe I also think of his warm strong arms, his fuzzy chin and tickly mustache, his tender kisses, his clever sense of humor, and his reassuring eyes with his beautiful slight smile that would always remind me that yes, he is right once again. That I need to listen to him because he does know best. That he only wants what is best for his family.

When I look around here today and see the many different faces and hear the many different precious memories we all have of Joe, I realize how much he has accomplished in his life. How many lives he has touched. How deeply you share with me love for him. I thank-you for helping me remember the vast amount of wonderful moments that my husband was so lucky to have and how lucky we are that we got to share them with him.

He had a way of making me laugh. No matter what mood I was in he could always just say something so funny, so clever, so quick-witted that could instantly change my mood. He always gave me this smerky smile with his big caring eyes that would make me feel like he knew how much I love him, and his clever ways. His touch was something that I loved so much, just one touch. His warm loving hands on my shoulder, my back, my face, the back of my neck, around me, or in my hands would tell me that he is here, that everything is OK because he is here.

He was so smart, so caring, and very sensitive to others. He was so funny and fun to be with. Joe would dance, break dance. I actually received an email from Mikey Merilos reliving his days breakdancing with Joe, winning a city hosted competition in Monterey and “beating out” other cities like San Jose and LA. According to Mikey, they were well known from then on! Yeah, Can you picture Joey breakdancing? He had moves though. When we would slow dance he would sweep me off my feet making me feel as though we were dancing on clouds. He would find a way to get my clumsy feet to work. He would show the kids how to dance that robot dance. And he would get a kick out of the kids’ dance moves.

I remember movie nights because Joe loved to watch kung fu movies and Star Trek, the original series (he would always mimic Captain Kirk). He loved eating kettle corn and snuggling up in one big blanket with all of the kids. He loved to make movies too. A common interest he had with his kids which also made him proud and excited.

The memory that stands out the most was him always tickling the kids until they would tell him that “daddy’s the greatest”, “daddy’s the greatest”. How the kids would love that. How he would sing karaoke with the kids and always find a way to get the high score. He just loved to win. He would always joke while playing board games. He used to confuse me during scrabble because he would make up words that didn’t exist and define them in such a way that made me think they were actually words and during Monopoly everyone knew that he was not to be Banker. He loves his kids. He loved life with his kids.

I remember days at the park, having picnics, and running around. His favorite park was the Dennis the Menace park in Monterey. I remember him being so proud of his children. We would have ice cream days and go to restaurants when the kids would bring home their accomplished report cards. The kids just showed Daddy there report last week and we enjoyed sushi together. Joe loved sushi, white or clam sauce noodle dishes, calamari, and clam chowder.

I remember of how much he loved baseball. How much he loved to beat Dave, Timmy, and Mike in woofle ball. He is the champion, he is the waffle king. How he would brighten up when he would speak of his days playing football. How relaxed he would be after a day of golf. How proud he was of all his kids when they would play hard in their sports and love their sports as much as he did.


I am so lucky to have him in my life as my best friend, the wise father to my children, and as my loving husband. Whenever I feel warm, uplifted and strong I know that it is Joey holding me, touching me with his strong, warm hands and reminding me that he is still here ..
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Joey a great MSGT  / Emma Piehl (friend)
My sincere condolences to all of Joey's family.
I remember what a great friend Joey was to everyone at our Reserve unit. He always tried to help out the younger troops and took his responsibilities seriously to heart.  I remember going to Misawa; everyone started to get stressed but Joey was keeping his cool trying to make sure everyone was taken care of..... you are in my prayers.  Close