CURRENT CELEBRATIONS

Joseph M Feeney

Joe didn’t just live life; he drove it at high speed, back in the day with his 1968 Chevelle or recently in his 2004 Corvette, and always with a drumbeat echoing in the background. His hands were rarely still. If they weren’t gripping drumsticks, a craft he began honing at age 12, they were covered in grease under a hood or dusted with flour in the kitchen. As a drummer for Top Shelf and the US Peace Band, Joe understood that timing was everything, even if that philosophy didn’t quite extend to his dinner table. A “6:00 PM dinner” at Joe’s house was a moving target, usually landing closer to 7:30 PM. But no one complained; Joe didn’t believe in shortcuts. There was no room in his kitchen for jarred sauce or frozen meatballs. It was homemade or it wasn’t worth eating, a standard he upheld even if it meant making his own pasta from scratch.

Joe was a man of specific, unshakeable tastes. He was a disciple of Emeril Lagasse (frequently punctuated with a “Bam!”), a lifelong fan of the Three Stooges, and a devotee of the classic rock canon, Rush, Pink Floyd, and Genesis. He had a particular reverence for Neil Peart, likely because he recognized a fellow perfectionist.

On the field, he was a catcher who refused to wear any number other than 25. In the living room, he was a student of NASCAR, Jeff Gordon, and the old school heroics of Hulk Hogan. He was also a man of records meticulous and perhaps overly cautious keeping filing cabinets full of receipts dating back to the 1900s, just in case a $7.50 return was ever contested.

He was famously stubborn. To Joe, an article proving him wrong was simply an article that hadn’t been researched properly. He was the final authority in his own world, a trait that was as exasperating as it was endearing to those who loved him, especially his children.
Above the cars and the drums, Joe was “Pop Pop”. He never missed a birthday or a concert. Even from a hospital bed, he ensured his grandkids received their cards on time. He leaves behind a legacy of loud singing, modified headers, and the firm belief that you should never, ever trust the internet over a man who knows how to fix his own vehicles. He was a lifelong Edgewater Park Resident who worked in maintenance. With his electrical and mechanical knowledge and YouTube knowledge sprinkled in here and there he could fix just about anything.

He is survived by his loving companion of 19 years, Grace Aviles; children, Michael (Christine) Feeney , Maria (Troy) Green and Kirsten (Stephen) Gravenor; 8 grandchildren; and his sister, Margaret Feeney-Collum.

Come celebrate 71 great years Friday September 11, 9-11 a.m. at Sweeney Funeral Home, Beverly where there will be an 11 a.m. service. Interment Monument Cemetery, Beverly.