January 7 2020: HEALY, Joseph J.

JOSEPH JAMES HEALY

Joseph James Healy “Papa Joe”, age 69, passed on peacefully Sunday, January 5^th 2020, surrounded by his beloved wife, four children, and ten grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Chantal; his son Jonathan and wife Yemi; his daughter Joelle and husband William; his daughter Cassandra and husband De; his daughter Claire and husband Justin; his ten grandchildren: Kevin, Emily, Amar’e, Madison, Faith, Derek, Adrian, Caleb, Chloe, and Kendall; his siblings John and wife Marianne, Kathleen and husband John, Daniel and wife Eileen, and Noreen and husband Bob; his many nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family; and countless close friends.

Joe was born April 26^th 1950 in Chicago, Illinois to John and Nora Healy whom emigrated from Ireland.  He was the youngest of five children and enjoyed bringing lots of laughter to his family.  In addition to his sense of humor, he was always a hard worker, starting at a young age with several paper routes.  His favorite stories always seemed to revolve around his jobs, from the many paper route adventures to his college job at Continental Bank.

After four years at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he headed off to Ireland in search of purpose and meaning. He began his journey staying with relatives and working on the family farm where he had many fond memories. From there, he traveled through Europe. While in Germany, he met the Unification Church where he found meaning and passion through God and missionary work. He also found his wife, Chantal, through the church where they were blessed in marriage.

They began their family in California and then moved to the East Coast where they settled in Montgomery County, Maryland and raised their four children. Throughout Joe’s life, he worked hard to take care of and provide for his family. He worked as a route driver for over 25 years while also selling flowers every weekend. In addition to his six-day work week, Joe reveled in sharing his love of God by teaching Sunday School every Sunday throughout his life.

In his later years, he loved playing and taking care of his grandchildren and even opened “Papa’s Daycare” for a few years. Joe always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. His kind heart touched everyone. Anyone that knew Joe loved him, because he loved everyone and made sure that everyone around him was happy and having fun. He will be missed by so many.

Relatives and friends may call at Collins Funeral Home, 500 University Boulevard West, Silver Spring, MD on Thursday, January 9th, from 7 to 9 pm and on Friday, January 10th, from 10:30 to 11:00 am at Cedarbrook Community Church, 23700 Stringtown Road, Clarksburg, MD, where Funeral Service will follow at 11:00 am.  Interment at Gate of Heaven Cemetery. Due to Joe’s sudden passing, the family is asking that in memorial contributions may be made to the Healy Family to help offset funeral and medical costs.