Joseph F. Lupo Jr. was born on October 3, 1943 to Joseph F. Lupo Sr. and Muriel (Morris) Lupo in Minneapolis, MN. Joseph Sr. was in WWII and didn’t see his son until two years later. He was proud of his Sicilian/Irish heritage. The family spent summer weekends at their cabin on Spirit Lake outside of Frederic.
Joseph went to St. Austin’s Catholic school until 8th grade, and then went to Patrick Henry High School and graduated in 1962 and went on to
study electrical engineering at Dunwoody College of Technology. He married Sharon Steele and they were married for nine years. He served in the Vietnam War with the Navy and was Honorably Discharged. After the war Joe worked for Electric Repair Construction which later became Electric Resource Contractors (ERC) with the International Bureau of Electric Workers Union. His main account was NALAC which later became Allianz and he did a lot of construction electrical work. He made a lot of friends at Allianz and loved his job and the people that worked there. Joe became one of the best master electricians in the area and was sent all over the Midwest. He helped wire many of the large hospitals in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Paisley Park, Sandstone Prison, Mall of America, and many more. He truly loved his job, the work he did, and the people he worked with. He donated much of his spare time helping people with their electrical needs. He was a very giving and generous person, and you could always count on him to lend a hand.
Joe made friends wherever he went. His infectious smile and ready hugs made him a likeable guy. Joe was in the Sitzmark ski club, enjoyed waterskiing and snowmobiling. He married Kathy Crandall in 1975. They moved from Minneapolis to Spirit Lake, Frederic, WI in 1977 where he built a home and raised his family, Joe Crandall, Kelly (Crandall) Appel, Annie Lupo-Gondwe, and Andrew Lupo. Joe enjoyed working in the yard and around the house, teaching his kids and their friends to waterski, snowmobiling, having pig roasts at their lake home, and golfing. He worked hard during the week, and on the weekends he enjoyed making breakfast for his children and working in his garage and yard. He also enjoyed taking trips up north to the Gunflint Trail and many memories were made on those family trips. Joe bought a house in Grantsburg in 1999 and that is where he spent the rest of his life. Joe retired after 38 years of working for ERC. He spent his retirement going out to eat, cooking meals for his family, playing pool at the senior center, and playing cribbage with patrons at Denny’s bar.
Joe’s pride and joy were his children and grandchildren and he was proud of every one of them. He will be remembered for his good cooking, love of food and drink, generous spirit, and his hard work ethic. He spent his final days in the care of Comforts of Home in St. Croix Falls and St. Croix Hospice.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, David. He is survived by his children, Joe (Beth Palmquist), Kelly, Andy, Annie (Alfred Gondwe); his grandkids, Haley and Maya Appel, Sinyala and Zikani Gondwe, and Gabrielle Crandall; and his sisters, Linda Drews, Laurie (Steve) Chasteen.
Services will be held at Grace Lutheran Church of West Sweden on Monday, November 12th. Visitation will be from 4-6pm, service at 6, and food to follow. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Burnett County Resource Center in Siren, WI.
You are invited to leave condolences, memories and photos at
www.rowefh.com . Arrangements are entrusted to Rowe Funeral Home in Frederic, 715-327-4475 and the Northwest Wisconsin Cremation Center in Milltown,
www.wicremationcenter.com .
