🌟 Joey’s Light — The Story of a Man Who Spent His Life Giving, and the Battle No One Saw Coming
If you’ve ever crossed paths with Joey — even once — you’ll remember him forever. He’s one of those rare souls who can turn a simple grocery-store line or a DMV wait into a moment of laughter, warmth, and genuine connection. Joey doesn’t just meet people… he loves them, instantly, naturally, without thinking twice.
Born under the sunny skies of Southern California and now calling the Hudson Valley home, Joey has always been a walking ray of sunshine. He’s the guy who gives you the benefit of the doubt, the shirt off his back, and somehow still manages to make you feel like you’re the one doing him a favor. That’s just who he is.
But now, the man who has spent his entire life giving light to others suddenly needs that light reflected back to him.
🌙 The Storm No One Expected
A few months ago, life shifted in a way no one saw coming.
Joey — the man who spent nine straight months working 12-hour days building DiNK, a community pickleball space full of laughter, joy, and connection — started losing weight. Not a little… thirty pounds. Then came the nausea. The exhaustion. The coughing. The quiet moments when Lorelei watched him sleep a little too long, breathe a little too shallow.
And then the words that shattered their world:
A rare, aggressive form of liver cancer.
One that usually isn’t found until it’s already deep inside the body.
In a matter of weeks, Joey went from running a business he built with his bare hands to traveling back and forth to New York City for weekly tests, procedures, surgeries, infusions… fighting an invisible storm he never invited.
Lorelei became his protector, caregiver, driver, anchor, all while trying to hold their family together. Their daughter, Elliette — now in her first year of college — pours her love into songs she writes for him. Their 15-year-old son, Lucca, holds onto soccer and hope with equal determination.
And through it all, Joey, somehow, still tries to smile.
👨👩👧👦 A Family Built on Love, Laughter & Quiet Strength
Joey was born to be a father.
The day Elliette came into the world, even the maternity nurse had tears in her eyes watching Joey cradle her. His presence, his gentleness, his calm… it left no doubt: this was a man who loved deeply.
For eighteen years, Joey has been the “good cop” dad — patient, silly, kind, and the king of dad-joke t-shirts he wears proudly. With Lucca, he has spent nearly a decade coaching soccer teams, cheering in the cold, celebrating victories, and comforting every kid on the field like they were his own.
He’s the dad who gets up in the middle of the night to pick his kids up from sleepovers without a single complaint.
He’s the man who washes dishes and vacuums without being asked — and almost enjoys it.
He’s the neighbor who loans tools without hesitation.
He’s the friend who shows up when he doesn’t have to.
And he’s the guy who once gave away a whole car — worth over $1,000 — to a single mother who needed a break.
That’s Joey.
🎨 A Creative Soul Who Built Community Everywhere He Went
Joey’s life has been a tapestry of creativity and connection:
• Working beside Timothy Leary in the 90s
• Designing for one of the early internet’s most iconic websites
• Touring with Tool doing stage lights
• Drumming in bands
• Creating a storytelling series loved across Upstate NY
• Building DiNK Pickleball so people could laugh and play together
• Offering small businesses and nonprofits affordable support for years
• Making hilarious, tongue-in-cheek holiday cards with Lorelei for nearly two decades
Everywhere Joey goes, he leaves something better than he found it — a community, a memory, a joke, a spark.
💛 And Then, Suddenly, Everything Changed
When illness struck, it was like the universe paused.
The man who lifted everyone else suddenly needed lifting.
The man who always gave had to learn how to let others hold him.
The man who created joy now faced days filled with appointments, infusions, worry, and exhaustion.
His family stands beside him — loving him, fighting with him, praying with him, hoping with him.
And yet, in the middle of this whirlwind, Joey still tries to spread sunshine. Even when his body is weak, his heart remains the strongest part of him.
He just celebrated his 57th birthday — a milestone that means more this year than any before.
