March 7, 2024

Daughter

GRACE NOVICK

Dad, We and I will miss you, Will miss my Hamburger and Ice Cream at Tom Wahl's for my Birthday tradition.

Love You

Grace

To the Novick family,

Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss. While it has been 24 years since I worked with Joe at Eastman Kodak I still have fond memories of him. He always had a smile or a joke that seemed to make the day go by just a little faster. He was a good guy and he will be missed.

Dave Griggs

I was saddened to see Joes obituary on the Burger site while searching for another friend of mine. Joe and I worked together at Kodak in Roll Coating for many years. He was always easy to talk to and a pleasure to be around. Though I haven’t seen Joe in many years I felt compelled to leave my condolences.

I can close my eyes and envision Joe's car - and then his truck after he totaled the car - in the parking lot of Quest park. I can see the footprint tread on his winter boots that already broke a trail in two feet of snow. I remember his exact walking path and how to decipher where he was to intercept him so our dogs could enthusiastically bound toward each other. I know exactly where his dogs habitually pooped before we got to the creek. I can hear him greet me with a "How the hell are you?" and my baby daughter and son that they're beautiful.

We met when my puppy Griffey was a little too romantically interested in Lucy. And I kept having to apologize for the humping. And that's how I met one of my best friends.

Joe and I walked together several times a week for seven years. More than 1,000 walks. More than 1,000 miles. More than 2,000 hours. My wife knew if I went for a walk we'd be gone anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. Because when we got back to the car we didn't go our separate ways. We sat at a bench as the dogs wrestled and fetched and and talked about life and travel and house projects and current events and families.

I had Joe's phone number in my phone as "Joe and Lucy" but there was no point. He didn't text. He didn't answer calls. But If it was between 9 and 11 a.m., or 3 and 5 p.m. I knew where to find him. And so did Sharon. She's technologically savvy so she tracked his phone to make sure he was safe. He was always safe and he always made it to his goal of reaching the cornfield because he was the toughest guy I know.

Our friend Andrew likens hanging with Joe to walking in the woods with Clint Eastwood everyday. Joe had a hard upbringing but a soft heart. A staunch conservative but an environmentalist. A curious personality but knowledgeable enough to fix anything. Tattoos on his knuckles but a "Dog Dad" magnet on his truck bed. A dad of three daughters, talking glowingly about their accomplishments and reminiscing fondly about their fishing trips together. Stories about juvenile shenanigans growing up in the city but anecdotes about his childhood friends and a pet racoon. He loved his dogs, my dog, any dog. And they loved him, and his endless supply of dog treats. Lucy and Bella were spoiled. There were always fresh dog toys in the backseat didn't have to climb into his truck; he'd pick them up. He'd pick them up even if he was in pain because his legs were numb, or if he was wearing a vacuum pump to treat a post-operation infection, or if the doctor told him not to. Especially if the doctor told him not to.

We're born into our families. But friends are who we choose to connect and spend our time with. He was family and friend, a grandpa that I never had. Joe taught me how to drive a zero turn lawn mower. We played frisbee and hit golf balls. He came blueberry picking and to Father's Day brunch, Friendsgiving and our baby shower. I spent more time with Joe in that decade than maybe anyone else in the world. Thanks for being one of my best friends, Joe. It was an honor to be one of yours.

We didn’t know Joe long. We met him through Tammy and Greg, my best friends. He was a lovely man. He was a jokester. We shared a couple holidays together, which was very nice. My son and him had nice conversations. He made us laugh a lot, but I know he was a wonderful man and Tammy and Greg talked very highly of him. They loved him very much. My prayers are with you. Remember all the good times, DARCI, Jayme, Brian miller

Lt. Lou and family,

I am very sorry to read of the passing of Joseph. Though we never met i worked with Lt. Lou in the communications section of the RPD when I was a new Sgt. (that was a long time ago)

I hope you all have good memories and will cling to them as you go through this difficult time.

Rob Dewey--RPD retired.

Cookie (Sharon), I am so sorry for your loss. Joe was a wonderful man who enjoyed the simple things in life. He loved his family, his animals, his daily walks, and always had a smile on his face. I will miss him dearly. Just a little history. Cookie and I met Joe and my now deceased husband, Kevin Higgins at Friendly's on Ridge Road in Greece, March 2, 1999 for the first time. What is amazing is that the four of us were still together. Kevin and I married in 2001, until he passed February 15, 2021, which would have been 20 years in May of 2021. Kevin and Joe worked together at Kodak and then hung out after hours, always working on computers, tearing them down and building new ones. They were great friends. It was so nice that Cookie and I were able to share a life with two great men that we met together on that special day in March of 1999. Joe, I am sure you and Kevin are enjoying to be back together again, probably don't have computers up there for you two to work on, but just enjoy your new phase of life with peace and tranquility. We miss and love you both!