Joseph Dennis Eltrich

Obituary Joseph Dennis Eltrich Gone Golfing The battle is over. I have fought the fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. On Saturday February 18, 2012, Joe lost a valiant two-year battle with Pancreatic Cancer. His deep faith and his never ending trust in God gave him strength to endure and face the many health challenges that came his way. We were all thankful that he was never in any pain, even during his final hours; God's grace shined through giving him a pain free journey as he was called Home. Joe was an inspiration and a blessing to all who knew him. Joe was born on April 21, 1949, the first born to Madeline and Francis Eltrich. He attended St. Leo's grade school and graduated from Bellarmine Prep in 1967. Following graduation, Joe earned a BA in Engineering in 1971 from St. Martin's College. He briefly worked as a land surveyor for Thompson and Associates before he went on to earn a Business Degree from University of Puget Sound in 1973. Along with that degree, Joe also earned a ROTC commission. During his four years of active duty in the US Air Force Joe was stationed at McChord AFB, Murphy Dome Alaska Air Force Station, and Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. He was proudly commissioned Lieutenant, serving as an Air-Intercept Controller where he excelled in controlling the F102 Delta Dagger, F104 Starfighter, F101 Voodoo, F4 Phantom, F15 Fighter Jet and F106 Delta Dart. This is where lifelong love of fast planes emerged. Joe always looked forward to air shows at Paine Field, McChord, the Fourth of July air show on Commencement Bay, and most of all the annual Blue Angels performance at Seafair. He loved to gather his family and friends to attend these events, never forgetting his binoculars and camera. Even though Joe was weak from a three week stay in the hospital, he made the journey to Seafair in early August 2011 with Paulette, Melissa and Grandbaby Grace to watch the Blue Angels fly one last time. The car racing circuit was Joe's next adventure. He hired on with Goodyear for a year in 1977 as a race tire engineer. In later years he loved watching the races on TV, taking enjoyment from the blaring sound of fast engines and tires screeching by. Over the years he made trips to some of his favorite speedways around the country. After his Air Force and Goodyear positions Joe was ready to head back home to Tacoma; he loved his family and wanted to make his permanent home near them. After nine months of working as a surveyor for J.J. Slaven and Associates, Joe was offered a job with the City of Tacoma Water Division in 1977 where he put his engineering and business degrees to work for the next 32 years. Joe started his career at Tacoma Water in the Wells Section working on wells, pumps, pressure reducing valves and corrosion control. After five years he transferred to Water Distribution where he spent the rest of his career analyzing, studying, expanding, fixing and improving the water distribution system that delivers drinking water to over 300,000 people in Pierce and South King County. He started working with new commercial projects and then moved on to manage new water main designs for Private Contracts. Joe was also involved with the development of Tacoma Water's hydraulic model, a complex computer model that helped the city fully understand the limitations and condition of the system, and to target improvements that would benefit customers. One of the most significant areas of focus for Joe over the years was helping to improve service to customers. Since many of Joe's coworkers started with Tacoma Water right out of college, it was as if they all grew up together. They were a close knit group and had lots of fun outside of work, skiing, golfing, fishing, playing baseball or just getting together for happy hour. Joe cared deeply about his coworkers and became close friends with many of them. He was appreciated by his staff and managers alike for his honesty, positive outlook on life, and his strong values. This is how his second family, his work family emerged. This past October Joe beamed with pride as his coworkers old and new gathered to celebrate his 32 years of accomplishments. Joe enjoyed fishing with his brothers Greg and Steve and Cousin Rich on Puget Sound. For many years a group of coworkers ventured up to Barkley Sound in Canada for week-long fishing trips; the fish were plentiful and many memories were made. Joe also enjoyed boating with Paulette and the kids. However there is no question that golf was his greatest passion. No matter where he was it was always in the back of his mind, and he never stopped searching for the "perfect" set of golf clubs. Joe's favorite trip was to Cancun in 2009 where he and Paulette enjoyed the best of times with dear friends. They also enjoyed weekend sailing getaways with friends, sharing food and drink while cruising the NW waters. The annual Marcoe family campout brought out the best of Joe; he loved participating with the family in the wacky hat, T-shirt, and other dress up contests. Food was always plentiful and Joe was in heaven enjoying the company around the campfire. Another annual event was packing up the truck and boat and heading to Crescent Bar with friends and family for some golfing, tubing, and sunbathing by the pool or beach. Joe loved food and sweets. Later in life he became an avid fan of television cooking shows and dreamed of one day taking cooking classes. Even though his illness impacted his appetite, he was always curious to know what everyone had to eat that day, asking questions about each component of the dish. Joe always looked forward to family gatherings, especially the holidays. His favorite was Thanksgiving, sharing food and conversation with his loved ones around the dinner table. In July of 1987, Joe married the love of his life, Paulette. Thus began a blended family, and soon after their daughter Katie was born. He often said that the best thing that ever happened to him was Paulette. Their love and dedication for each other was present until the time of Joe's passing. His wife and children meant the world to him. Shortly after Joe's cancer diagnosis, his granddaughter Grace was born. She was his loving bundle of joy, who loved her grandpa's funny faces and hugs. Joe's father, Francis Eltrich, preceded him in death. He is survived by his loving mother Madeline Eltrich, devoted wife of 24 years Paulette, daughter Katie, stepchildren Anthony Brown and Melissa Lange, son in law Nick Lange and granddaughter Grace Lange. Joe also leaves behind his siblings: Judy Oakes (Greg), Steve Eltrich (Marylynn), Greg Eltrich (Rosemary), and extended family: Marian Swanson (Darth), Larry Marcoe (Marlene), Ron Marcoe (Connie), Joanne Marcoe (Al Brisbois), Winona Rice (Bill), and his close cousin and friend Rich Eltrich (Kay) as well as several nieces and nephews. We wish to thank the Staff at Franciscan Hospice, Virginia Mason and Seattle Cancer and Treatment Center for their support and care for Joe and his family during the past three years. A special thank you goes out to Dr. Owen Miller for many years of guidance, expertise and caring during Joe's health journey. You are invited to the Rosary vigil at Gaffney's on February 29, 2012 at 7:00 pm. A mass of Christian burial celebrating Joe's life will be held at 11:00 am, on March 1, 2012 at St. Charles Borromeo, Tacoma Washington. The family suggests memorial donations to Franciscan Hospice.