Joseph Haller Jr.

Joseph Haller, Jr. was a man dedicated to his family and his faith. As a very salt of the earth kind of person, he was a hard worker even from his earliest moments. The man he grew into reflected this fact, as he was a stable, thorough and dependable man people were proud to know.

Joseph was born in the mountainous region of South Tirol, Italy on December 9, 1921, in the same house his mother, Veronica Margasin, was born in. The only difference was at the time of his mother’s birth, their province of South Tirol was part of Austria, but was later acquired by Italy as part of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. Nonetheless, the family always took great pride in being Austrian.

When Joe was just a young boy, his mother immigrated to the United States, leaving him in Italy until she could send for him. While in the states, Veronica was married to Joseph Haller, Sr. in St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania, and it wasn’t long before she was able to bring Joe over to live with them. Joe profoundly remembered that day in May 1929, when he, along with many other immigrants, entered New York Harbor and went past Ellis Island. Over the next several years, Joe would become big brother to three brothers and four sisters, who were all named after members of the Austrian royal family. True to their heritage, the family only spoke German, though the children learned English in school. From a very young age, Joe developed a strong work ethic working on their family farm in Pennsylvania. He attended school through the eighth grade, and then left home to work on a dairy farm in Utica, New York.

In August 1940, Joe followed the same patriotic calling of many other young men of the time, and enlisted in the U.S. Army. Joe trained to be a paratrooper, and under the leadership of General Eisenhower, he made the historical jump on D-Day when they invaded Normandy, and served behind enemy lines as a Pathfinder of the 101st Airborne Division. Joe also made other significant jumps in Holland and Bastogne. Because he spoke fluent English and German, Joe was often times used as a translator too. Upon his honorable discharge after the war, Joe made his home in Detroit, Michigan, where he pursued a career in lithography, a trade in learned in the Army. Joe worked for 32 years as a Lithographer at Calvert Lithograph Co., but then changed pace and went into construction for ten years before retiring.

During his first few years in Detroit, Joe met a young lady named Lucille Kraemer at the Graystone Ballroom, and they were married on July 2, 1949, at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Detroit. Over the next few years, the couple filled their home at 6800 Abington Street with the busyness of five sons. Being the rough and tough guy he was, Joe took great pride in teaching his sons the manly sport of hunting, something he had been doing since childhood. In fact, pretty much all of their meals were made with “game” they had hunted and caught. One of Joe’s most prized possessions was his 14 point deer head mounted on his living room wall, which he nicknamed “Jimmy Crack Corn.” Joe shot this massive deer in Fowlerville, Michigan in 1955, a true story that is still talked about today. Aside from being a good hunter, Joe also had a real green thumb, which he used to tend his huge vegetable garden and fruit trees, especially peaches, his favorite.

Joe was a devout Catholic all of his life, and a member of St. Linus Catholic Church in Dearborn Heights. He was also very proud to be an American Veteran, and showed his patriotism as a volunteer in the Fort Custer Honor Guard, wherein he carried the flag in every Memorial Day parade. Joe was involved with the VFW and the Catholic War Veterans as well. When he found some time to relax, Joe liked to read about historical events around the world. Back in his military days, he learned to play pinochle while passing the time on the troop carrier ships, and later, used what he learned to become a tournament card player in Detroit.

Very opinionated, Joe certainly had his ideals and beliefs, and was often heard saying in his raucous voice “Down with those who don’t do right.” He even had a poster in the window showing a Smith and Wesson handgun to which he would say “I am 911.” Undoubtedly, Joe had a real tough guy façade, and it wasn’t unlike him to sign cards with “Joe the Bad.” Once his grandchildren came into the picture, though, Joe softened around the edges and thoroughly enjoyed being with them. Like his boys, he taught his grandsons how to hunt, and when it came to his granddaughters, he learned to be sweet and gentle, which was different for him since he only had boys.

Just this past year, Joe was diagnosed with cancer, and after a courageous battle, he died peacefully at Rose Arbor Hospice on Wednesday, November 14, 2007. All who knew and loved Joe will treasure his memory.

Learn more about Joe, view his Life Story Film and visit with his family on Sunday, November 18, from 2:00-7:00 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home- Betzler in Kalamazoo (800-822-7594), where a rosary will be recited on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, November 19, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Monica Catholic Church. A luncheon will follow the mass at the parish hall. Interment at Fort Custer National Cemetery.

Members of Joe’s family include five sons: Rick (Deb) of Ann Arbor, Bill (Deb) of Bonita Springs, FL, Mike (Deb) of Ann Arbor, Kurt (Cathy) of Kalamazoo and Chris of Chicago; two granddaughters, Meghan and Betsy; eleven grandsons: Eric, Brian, Michael, Kevin, Craig, Scott, Jeffrey, David, Matthew, Tyler and Alex; four sisters: Zita, Katie, Rosie and Ronnie; and two brothers, Willie and Rudy. He was preceded in death by his former wife, Lucille; his father, Joseph; his mother, Veronica; and his brother, Ferdinand. Please visit Joe’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may share a favorite memory or photo with his family or sign his online guest book before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the West Michigan Cancer Center or PIME Missionaries.