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Joseph M. Proctor, 64, died on January 10, 2014 at Kavanagh House, surrounded by his loving family and friends. Joe was born on March 30, 1949 to Morey and Mary Proctor.
Joe graduated from Dowling High School in 1967, where he was the quintessential scholar athlete, earning a spot on the All City team. He went to play football at the University of North Dakota, graduating in 1971. He would remind his friends that he played in the Potato Bowl for the UND Fighting Sioux.
On September 19, 1987, Joe married the wonderful, Diane (Sneden). Joe enjoyed fishing, golfing, cycling, reading, and writing poetry. His quick wit, sense of humor, and warm personality drew everyone to him.
Joe and Diane attracted friends and family to a home that cherished and celebrated learning, fellowship, and community. They loved hosting parties for a wide variety of charitable causes and family milestones.
Joe was well versed in many subjects, especially politics and world history. A lifelong pundit, he could speak to any topic with original thought and in-depth analysis. He was quick to point out political or government absurdities and loved to debate about topics of the day.
Joe was known for his business prowess as President of Proctor Mechanical Corp. Yet, he still found time for charitable and civic leadership, including past president of Variety – The Children's Charity, past chair of the Mercy Foundation Board, and a former board member of the Associated Builders and Contractors. He was honored to be a graduate of the U.S. Army War College and a Paul Harris Fellow. Joe was a member of many organizations including Mensa, the National Geographic Society, Wakonda Club, Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, Rotary Club, BBOR, and Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Joe was especially proud to be a recipient of the Canadian Master Angler Award for fishing excellence. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Morey and Mary. He is survived by his wife, Diane; his children, Mara, RJ Rademacher (Emily), Elizabeth, and Anna; granddaughter Isla; siblings Mike, Ann, Mary Pat, and Meg; and his dogs Bob and Doolie.
Services will be held at St. Augustin Catholic Church located at 545 42nd Street in Des Moines Thursday, January 16 at 10:00 a.m Visitation will be held at Dunn's Funeral Home located at 2121 Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Wednesday from 4:00-7:00 p.m.
Joe was such a strong presence in his family, his business, and his community. His life was simply too short, and he will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Variety – The Children's Charity, Boys and Girls Club, or Riverfront YMCA.
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Greg Ortale
I think of my friend Joe almost everyday. Our list of shared time was something I will treasure. When he would come home from U of North Dakota, we would spend time (a lot of time at Peggy's). I was in both of his weddings. As we move through our careers in different cities together, we would speak on the phone at least once a week. We argued, shared and talked about a lot. When I would come to Des Moines we always made a point of spending time . . . that was what I feel saddest about . . . spending time with Joe! Joe was a Mensa member and for him to pass with less of a brain than god gave him is a special tragedy. The last time I saw him was in August of 2013 at another friends funeral. He didn't talk much but we sat and I reminded him of some of the crazy things we did together. My last best memory was of getting him to smile even if he did not talk. As I said, I miss him everyday!
Matthew McNerney
Nice comments Greg, I was pretty close to Joe at Dowling and it is great to see that he did so well. Another life that ended much to soon.