Memorial
Joseph Hamilton Hubbard, 87, of Des Moines, Iowa, formerly of Marion, died Thursday evening, September 24, 2015 at Wesley Acres in Des Moines.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2015 in the Community Room at Wesley Acres in Des Moines, Iowa. As was his wish, Joe’s body was donated to the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He will later rest at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery in Cedar Rapids.
Joe was born September 29, 1927 in Cedar Rapids to Irvin and Elizabeth (Young) Hubbard. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army, where he served honorably until his discharge in 1947. Following his discharge, he enrolled at Coe College and graduated with a degree in History in 1951. On January 28, 1950, Joe was united in marriage to Joan Audrey Olsen in Chicago, Illinois. To this union, five children were born.
Joe worked as a credit manager at Smulekoff’s Home Store in Cedar Rapids for thirty-seven years. He was a lifelong resident of Cedar Rapids and Marion, until recently when he moved to Des Moines with his wife to be closer to family. He was a member of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Marion.
He was well-known for his love of roses and tended a garden at his home, at Smulekoff’s, and in retirement at Biltmore. He and his wife, Joan, won a number of awards for their ballroom dancing, and his love of music was a source of joy and comfort to him throughout his life. Reading was a favorite pastime and he passed this love on to his children. He was also an avid crossword puzzle solver. Joe believed in personal fitness and swam, biked, and ran, entering into triathalons and winning a number of them.
Joe is survived by his wife of sixty-five years, Joan; children: Jeff (Lucretia) Hubbard of Victoria, Texas; Paul (Connie) Hubbard of Appleton, Wisconsin; Nancy (Mike) Kammerer of Des Moines; Ann (Chris) Schwarck of Mason City; seven grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; sister Jane Berent of Laguna Beach, California; and brother Irvin (Sue) Hubbard of
Des Moines.
He was preceded in death by his parents and infant son, Thomas.
Memorial donations in Joe’s name may be made to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) care of Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home, 4200 1st Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402.
He is gone from our sight, but never from our hearts.