Tribute to Latestarter

[shawluvsbirds]

I always dread this kind of post.
Thank you for letting us all know. I don't recall ever chatting with him but I do recall reading some of his posts.
Sending out
Prayers and well wishes to his family and friends

 

[getaclue]

Thank you for posting. I enjoyed when he posted on various threads. He will be missed.

 

[Rammy]

He txtd me a couple weeks ago and told me he was in the hospital and asked me to keep it to myself. He expected to be out that following Monday. When he hadnt posted anything by mid-week, I got worried. Im devestated beyond words.
I got to meet Joe back in September when he came to Tn. Was just the same in person as he was online.

RIP Joe.

 

[JD4570]

I hate news like this. I will miss him. I believe that we have lost too many friends over the last year. Joe was just too young to go.

 

[Bunnylady]

I remember when Joe joined this forum, and then BYH a few months later. If he could have been said to have been active here, he was hyperactive there; answering questions, greeting people, and just general socializing . . . a real people person. I think he made it a point to leave no question unanswered; if it was something he wasn't sure about, he'd tag people that he felt would know (I can't count the number of times he tagged me for a rabbit question). The loss to these forums is profound; I can only imagine the grief of those who knew him face-to-face. They say that to know a man's value, don't look at his bank account, count his friends; by that standard, Joe was a rich man, and he died way too soon.

Rest well, Joe. You have been greatly loved, and will be truly missed.

 

[Blooie]

Thank you, Bruce, for posting this, although that doesn't seem like something a person would want to be thanked for.

I will sure miss him. He was so fast responding, and like others he's tagged me many times if he thought I'd have the answer to a question. He was a gentle soul and never even realized how many of us he's touched in some way.

Sometimes I think hermits have the right idea - find a cave and don't let anyone into your heart. But what an empty place it would be without people like Joe. Sleep well, brave friend. And if the Good Lord doesn't have a goat up there yet, He soon will!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

This information was posted on BYH by another member, I have removed references that were specific to that member's personal involvement. There is an identically named thread on BYH.

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of our beloved Latestarter. He passed away on Saturday Feb. 23, 2019, at approximately 9:00 PM.

Joe admitted himself to the hospital, on Saturday February 16th and was admitted to the ICU.

As many of you know, Joe has been sick for a while now. I believe the worst of it started last December, when he came down with the flu, which left him with a bad cough. Although he has had pain in his hands and feet for a while, which made it increasingly difficult to do anything on the farm. I believe about two months ago he was in the hospital for kidney issues.

This time, when he went to the hospital, I believe it was for pneumonia, for which they used a Bi-PAP Oxygen mask and antibiotics. The initial diagnosis was for a rare autoimmune disease, which causes extreme pain in wrists and ankles, as well as fluid on the lungs and heart and kidney failure. As the first week went by, he seemed to get better, and they moved him from ICU to a step-down unit and then to a regular floor bed. But by Monday night he was back in ICU using a ventilator, to help him breathe.

By yesterday, multiple medical treatments had been attempted, but it was becoming clear that he was going down hill.

This afternoon, the doctors told his family that he didn’t have more than 72 hours left.

I am so grateful, that he was able to accomplish his dream and have his goats. He truly loved those goats!!!

This picture and a couple of others are posted in the BYH thread. Besides loving his goats, he loved his GP, named Mel (short for mellow). He got Mel while he was still in Colorado planning a move to another state.

I, like many of you, will sorely miss Joe. While I never met him in person, we had a forum and PM relationship both here and on BYH

I just now learned this over on BYH. I cried.. Good bye my friend. You were always so kind to me.

 

[Kiki]

I just now learned this over on BYH. I cried.. Good bye my friend. You were always so kind to me.

 

[microchick]

Never an unkind word. Always pleasant and helpful. Rest in Peace, Latestarter.