RIP Brother Joel

RIP Joel, Never met you but heard of your greatness from many.

RIP Joel. God Bless and Godspeed. You truly were one of the richest men alive. Look at the legacy you left behind and all the people you touched in such a positive way. We can all only hope to be such loving and caring human beings. Until next time!

RIP Mooch. Although i met u a couple times I really felt that i knew you longer, so funny and warm personality. You will be missed bro. You are an inspiration n the next fish i catch will be for u man!

....speechless
I'm glad you're in a better place now and free of pain.
I'll never forget the time you spent attending to speak Spanish with my parents for over a hour. You made then feel welcome at Albion several years back and I thank you for that my friend. That's just the kind of guy you were.
I'm a better person and live with a bigger heart because of you and everybody in NCKA. Thank you.   
Rest in peace Joel.
Marcos

Love you Joel. I hope to see you in the next life. You made my life better by being a good friend and mentor.

Paulr

Joel,

you left the world a better place,

that's a legacy that most of us can only hope for,

Thank you

Joel had a huge heart. I wish I could have fished with you one more time. Rest in peace brother.

 No words. RIP brother.

Quote from: Mooch on June 27, 2011, 12:01:38 PM
Congrats! It only gets better from here on   Welcome to the madness!

That was from Joel after my first smallie was caught off my kayak at Chabot.  Immediatley he made me feel part of something bigger than I knew was out there, like an extended family I didn't know I would be welcomed into. 

I hope I can carry on tradtion that Joel started and always remain as positive, and a fighter as he was, rest in peace and smooth waters always.

RIP .. with much thanks for all ... calm waters....

Joel, in your honor I will strive to be as welcoming to all as you were to me and Nathan.  If I can be half the man you are, I will be stoked. 

I met Joel back in the day. From the very first, it was obvious that he was the life of the party, an endless well of laughter and good times. There was wisdom too, in his easy-going impulse to bring people together. People as oil and water as Dennis Spike and Jim Sammons. Only Joel could have done it.

It was always a joy for me to connect with Joel, if only for a few minutes every year. He was bright, warm sunshine. This was man with an uncommon gift to touch hearts and bring out our better natures. And then, his great trial which, as far as I can see, he faced with immense dignity and near-superhuman will. Inspiring. Unforgettable. 

I'm struck how Joel's love for his kayak fishing brothers and sisters was returned in nearly infinite measure when he needed help. It's something special, something to celebrate, and I hope, something NCKA continues forever. "It gets me all teary eyed. You can only say thank-you so much," he told me the last time we talked. I believe this love and care sustained him. 

I started work on a story featuring Joel and his bond with NCKA shortly before he passed. It will appear in a future edition of Kayak Fish. There were plans to shoot portraits. Unfortunately, we didn't anticipate he'd be gone so soon. If you have original photos - they should be pretty big, at least 1MB in file size - please let me know. If you have anecdotes to share or something to say about Joel's role in your life and kayak fishing, I'd very much like to hear it. We will try to do justice to Joel, but I'm not afraid to say it is a daunting prospect. He was and remains a legend among us, but most of all, a friend. The world is a sadder place now that he's moved on.

Paul   

Such sad news. R.I.P Joel.

Anthony

ETERNAL RIP to a stellar human being. SRJ

I was never lucky enough to meet Joel but I am thankful for all he did for this community that has been so welcoming to me.   Hopefully we get to paddle out together on the other side. 

RIP.