Joseph "Joe" Schunk

Joseph William Schunk, age 65 of Little Falls, MN, passed away Sunday, March 10, 2024 at his home. Visitation will be held 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 15, 2024 at Redwood Valley Funeral Home in Redwood Falls with a Prayer Service at 7:30 p.m.  Stephens Funeral Service – Redwood Valley Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Dad wore a lot of hats…repairman, comedian, master of the Irish good-bye, chicken befriender, friend, son, brother, dad and papa/grandpa. 

So many things I could say about our dad, but anyone who knows him knows he was the absolute best grandpa and proudest papa…he loved to see his grandkids have fun and he was the mastermind of some of the best and funniest bad ideas to make sure it happened on every visit…and they could talk him into almost anything. No matter what the activity was, he would proudly lead his line of grandkids into any and all fun trouble he could think of, always with pockets full of quarters for any and all claw-machines they might pass. From Dawn dish soap garbage bag slip and slides, roasting and eating acorns in the backyard without first doing the research as to whether or not it was safe (his stomach of steel let him know later it probably wasn’t the best idea), to hanging a swing from the ceiling in the middle of the house and a hammock in the toy room closet, and spending countless hours on mini bikes and lawn mower shenanigans no matter what season to name just a few. We should probably also send apology letters to several local restaurants for all of the open creamers that were strategically hidden and the sugar added to the salt shakers whenever we went out to eat; which was often because no one can live on ketchup, sliced cheese and ranch dressing (expired or not) except our dad …Don’t worry Nipper, he never did that at the Canteen or at least not that we know of. By the way, for those of you that didn’t already know, fruit snacks are a great breakfast food! You get part of your daily fruit servings in just one little package. Same goes for Jello. Dad always had a keen fashion sense and was a thrifty shopper. If it was a Superman shirt on the clearance rack at WalMart for $1, it was sure to be added to his wardrobe and he wore it proudly.  $10 velcro shoes that your children bought you as a joke? Perfect…buy 3 more pairs. They’re awesome! There was no shortage (pun intended) of laughter with Dad around. He was never one to follow the rules completely. Like sneakily trying to give the girls advice during the state golf tournaments knowing that spectators are not allowed to talk to golfers. We will miss his inappropriate jokes, life lessons and colorfully creative, sometimes pretty wild, mind. Nothing was garbage to him…he could almost always turn what most of us would throw away into some type of useful contraption. For example, he was sure to save his 3 coffee makers that stopped working so he would have spare parts if he needed them. Dad could fix almost anything and spent so many hours helping us with renovations in our houses. Who are we going to call when we need to make sure things are being fixed the “grandpa Joe way” or when we need someone to remind Lance that he doesn’t know how to read a tape measure? 

For those of you that don’t know it, I am a bit of a crier. Some of you might be shocked, but it’s true. Just ask Lance and the kids. On my wedding day as Dad and I were standing in the back of the church, he looked at me like he knew I was on the verge of tears and said “you know there’s still time to run”…I laughed but I didn’t run. Instead, I managed to walk down the aisle crying the entire time with my dad by my side. We all had different relationships with Dad, but they were each special in their own way and we never once doubted his love for us.  

Dad had a large family where their height will never compare to the size of their hearts. The love we felt and the laughter heard at gatherings was something that I wish for every family to have. I hope that Grandpa smiles down from heaven with the same pride I see in Grandma’s eyes when she looks at her family. 

Dad also had his Canteen family that knew him as JoJo or Joe/Bob and maybe a few other names that we don’t know about. He loved them all and we always enjoyed hearing his stories and spending time with him there when we visited. Those dart boards always got a workout as we bellied up to the table in our regular spots right next to them to eat and enjoy some friendly family competition. We shared a lot of laughs with Dad there and I know they all did as well. 

What we wouldn’t give to hear that laugh one more time, or play one more round of golf, or to see that giant stuffed bear floating on the raft in the pond, sitting on the roof or hiding up near the top of what looks like a 50 foot tree again (I’m still not sure how he got that up there). All I know for sure, is heaven sure is lucky to have our dad. While the days will get easier, the pain of losing him and never having the answers we want will never completely go away. Knowing that we have so much support from our family and friends is more comforting than anyone knows. If pride and love for your children and grandchildren were enough to save him, there is no doubt that he’d be standing here today. 

His sarcasm and wittiness will live on through his children Heather (Lance), Joseph and Brandi; the grandchildren he was blessed with: Shylyn, Mackenzie, Isaak, Joseph, Dawson, Adelyn, Travon, Kaysen and Nadiya; his mother Elaine; siblings Dave (Jessie), Gary (Lisa), Ron (Kelly), Alan, Jan (Joachim), Cheryl (Paul) and Kris (Jerry): and many nieces and nephews.