Joseph Aime Posluszny

Joseph “Joe” Posluszny passed away Monday, Sept 18, 2017, in his home in Meridian after a long illness.

Joe was born Aug 13, 1940, to Frank and Camille (Blanchard) Posluszny of Lawrence, MA. He was the second son of five children. He attended school in Lawrence, especially enjoying basketball, until they moved to San Antonio, TX, when he was 13. At that time, he started working full time to help support the family.

Joe joined the USAF on Aug 18, 1958, and served for eight years. He was proud to be part of SAC at Mountain Home AFB, training in heavy equipment, which led to his later civilian profession in the trucking industry in Boise. Joe married Sheral Studley in 1963 and had two daughters, Christina and Trina.

Joe drove for Associated Foods for 15 years often pairing with his lifelong friend, Denny Dotson. He then worked as terminal manager for Star Motor Freight, until he retired in January 1997. After retirement, he continued part-time work driving bus for Trailways and Interwest. He especially enjoyed 5 cross-country tours, where he showed European tourists sites from NYC to San Francisco.

Joe later married Helen Meier Oct 6, 1979. His family expanded with Cindy, Daniel and Matt. In 1980, he adopted Matt. Joe and Helen became active with the Casey Family Program and had two foster children, Mychal and Leia, who are still part of the family. They lived in Southeast Boise and joined Trinity Presbyterian Church. They made many memories there and this is where Joe started cooking for large numbers of people, a hobby he enjoyed the rest of his life.

Joe enjoyed the outdoors and loved traveling with Helen in their RV. The highlight was their trip driving through Canada and Alaska. Joe loved to sit on the bank and fish. He had the patience of Job, but usually pulled in a nice mess to cook fresh for dinner.

For Joe, family was first. And second came his alter ego of “Santa.” For 52 years, the Christmas seasons were dedicated to bursting into homes and other gatherings with a “Ho Ho Ho,” delighting children and adults alike.

Joe had only seen one play in his life, when Helen volunteered him to usher at Boise Little Theater. He was quickly accepted and was elected to Board of Directors and was the first 4-year-term President in BLT’s history. Under his leadership, the theater enjoyed many improvements. Joe was instrumental in the formation of the Youth Summer Theater Program with Autumn Kersey, now in its 18th year at BLT. He received the award of Lifetime Patron in 2005.

In 2005 Joe and Helen moved to Cascade, ID, beginning a wonderful 10-year adventure in their lives. They finished the cabin they bought on East Mountain and enjoyed the beauty and recreation that area provided. They joined the American Legion and Auxilliary. Joe started cooking Friday Night dinners and catering, supported by a great team. He was also instrumental in renovating the kitchen and other improvements at the legion hall.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Ruthie. Joe is survived by his wife Helen; brothers Cortland and Frank; sister Susan; 7 children; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Joe and Helen were a great team and he is going to be so very missed by her and so many others his life touched.

The funeral will be held Tuesday, Sept 26, 11 a.m., at Cloverdale Funeral Home, led by his pastor John Mars of Meridian United Methodist Church. There will be military honors at the graveside immediately after the service, and a lunch reception to follow.

Deep gratitude goes out to St. Luke’s Hospice for their excellent and loving care of Joe and consistent support to the family.

In lieu of flowers, you may make donations in Joe’s name to Treasure Valley Children’s Theater, P.O. Box 9144, Boise, ID 83707.