Joseph Wysocki

At a young age Joe Wysocki decided what he wanted from life, and he spent the rest of his days pursuing this dream with vigor, charm, and tenacity. He was a dedicated father who passed along his skills and beliefs to his sons, and he was also a loving husband. Joe was the happiest with his wife and sons, for in their warm company he knew for certain that he’d reached his dream.

In the year 1945 America and much of Europe were in a state of celebration as the Second World War came to an end. With the end of the war, thousands of young men returned home and set about starting the family. Alas, the baby boom was underway, and Frank Wysocki and his wife Gladys Niemiec were among the many expecting parents. While Frank provided for his family through his job at the Willow Run bomber plant, Gladys readied the house for their child, and on March 11, 1945 they were blessed with the healthy birth of their son Joseph.

Though Joe was born in Garden City, he spent most of his childhood in the town of Nankin. The third of five children, he grew up with the company of his older siblings Diane and Frank and his younger brothers Johnny and Dennis. During his childhood, Joe and Johnny were especially close. With the company of their friend Pat Ringwalski, the three of them would pass their time together doing all sorts of weird things. Many people observed that they were a little bit like the three rascals. While Pat was always the one who got into trouble, Joe tended to be the instigator of the group. As an example of their shenanigans, they once attached a sail to a wagon, and during their inaugural practice run they steered it onto a major highway!

But Joe’s automotive interests went far beyond sailing wagons. When he was around fifteen or sixteen years old, he developed a passion for repairing cars and soon began working in a body shop. Though he was an intelligent young man, he could never sit still in a classroom. By his senior year of high school at Taylor Center he had made up his mind: he would pursue a career in automotives, and he no longer needed any more school. He was eager to step outside the structured environment of a classroom, and so he said so long to his class of 1963 and began making his way in the working world.

From his junior high school days, Joe knew a pretty girl by the name of Judith Craig. During high school he asked her out and they dated off and on. Their relationship could be described as a pairing of opposites. While Joe was very much a party-going rebel who didn’t care much for school, Judy was in the National Honor’s Society, she scored very good grades, and she associated with a much more conservative group of friends—or at least they were conservative compared to Joe’s coterie.

During their senior year, Joe and Judy began dating more seriously. Soon they were in love, and after Judy graduated in June of 1963, they set about planning their wedding. They were married a month later on July 20, 1963 in Dearborn Heights at St. John Baptist Church, marking the happy beginning to a union filled with love and mutual respect.

After their marriage, the newlyweds settled down in the city of Taylor, where they lived in an apartment above the gas station that belonged to Judy’s father. But as Joe and Judy began thinking about starting a family, they decided to find a more suitable home. They soon moved to Trenton, where they were blessed with two handsome sons. Joseph Craig, or Little Joe, as he was often called, was born in 1965, followed by Jerry in 1967. These were two of the happiest days in Joe’s life.

Just after Little Joe was born, Joe approached his wife and asked her if it was all right if he bought a B.S.A. motorcycle. She didn’t mind, as long as he met one condition: they at least needed a dryer first. But when Joe and Judy wandered the store, they found several other appliances that would also come in handy. The prices were reasonable, and Joe decided to delay his motorcycle purchase for a month so that they could better equip the house.

With his children still very young, Joe moved his family to Ypsilanti in the year 1970. There were several car dealerships in the area, and Joe worked in many different body shops over the coming years. But after spending so many years working for other people, Joe decided to go into business for himself. On February 7, 1983 he opened the doors to his own body shop, Heritage Collision and Frame. He operated the business until December of 1996, when he decided to sell it. Throughout its thirteen year run, you could always find Little Joe working alongside his father. After selling the business, Joe started up another company, Wysocki Enterprises, which concentrated exclusively on restorations. Throughout these years Joe was an active member in the Optimists Club.

Joe took a great amount of pride in his work. He enjoyed his trade, and it was important to him to always do his best. His philosophy was to return vehicles to their owners in a cleaner condition. Joe’s passed on his principles of hard-work and perfection to his two sons.

In his spare time Joe enjoyed hunting and belonged to Atlanta’s V-8 Club on Thunderbay River. He was an avid golfer and a 15 year member of the Washtenaw Country Club. He rarely listened to music because he found that he focused better without any sound in the background.

Judy rarely fixed Joe’s favorite dish because no one else liked it, and moreover, it smelt up the house. But whenever Joe went out for dinner he would usually order liver and onions. He liked to compliment a good meal with a Heineken beer, and in the evenings he enjoyed Jim Beam and Diet Coke.

Joe was a dedicated family man. In recent years he was pleased to see his family grow with the blessing of two grandchildren, Adam Craig and Elizabeth Paige Wysocki. He was a free-spirited, fun-loving, energetic man who passed along many important lessons to his sons. Joe will be greatly missed and frequently remembered by the many people whose lives he touched.

Joe died on Sunday, March 20, 2005 at University Hospital. In addition to his wife Judith, Joe is survived by his son Jerry (Kelly); two grandchildren, Adam Craig and Elizabeth Paige Wysocki; two brothers, Frank (Mary) and Dennis (Chris) and a sister-in-law Anna Wysocki. He was preceded in death by his son Joseph, a sister Diane and a brother Johnny. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Nie Life Story Funeral Home, 2400 Carpenter Rd. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday March 24, 2005 and the family will receive friends one hour prior to service also at the funeral home. Memorial contributions in Joe’s honor may be made to the Wysocki Memorial Fund, 4770 Textile Rd., Ypsilanti, MI 48197. To sign Joe’s guest book or leave a memory please visit his personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com.