In Memory
My heart is deeply saddened to post this obituary. Joe was one of my longest and dearest friends since kindergarten and Indian Village days. We were Safety Patrol together in Mr. White's 5th-grade class, kicked many a can, and he always won in Hide n Seek. I don't think I have ever known a guy who was always so happy and so positive, never knew a stranger, and would drop everything to help out a friend. The world has lost one of its finer souls, but Heaven has gained an angel. Rest in Peace, Joey
If you knew Joe and benefited from being his friend, please post a comment and I shall pass it on to his family.
Joe's Obituary
Joe McKibben, 78, of Fort Wayne, died Saturday October 26, 2024. He was born October 1, 1946 in Yorktown, the son of (the late) Raymond and Mary (Haroz) McKibben. Joe married Sharon (Maher) McKibben on April 14, 1973; she survives along with their children, Meg (David Fidler II) McKibben and Patrick McKibben; grandchildren, Gabrielle (Austin) Snyder, Emma McKibben, Lacey McKibben, Jillian McKibben, Joey McKibben, and great-grandson, A.J. Snyder, all of Fort Wayne; his brothers, David McKibben of Dunedin FL and Alan (Kate) McKibben of Indianapolis, and his sister, Pam Fackler of Fort Wayne. In addition to his parents, Joe was also preceded in death by an infant daughter, Tiffany McKibben.
Joe retired as a builder, developer, and commercial real estate broker. During his retirement, he found joy in helping people by driving. He enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life, all over the United States during that time. He was nicknamed “Limo Joe” by many whom he helped. In his early years, the Bolaños racing team recruited Joe to head their pit crew and worked in the pits for the 24 Hours of Daytona race. He later went on to manage the Race team and traveled with them on the US and Mexican race circuits. He was a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, where he volunteered often and served as an usher for many years. Joe was a member of The Knights of Columbus and a member/alumnus of DeMolay International. Joe was active in his community by being a founding member of the Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana's Grand Prix, and he enjoyed providing meals for Hope’s Harbor, which was just one of the many places he chose to donate his time to. Joe spent many years enjoying lake life and loved every minute spent on the water with his friends who lovingly dubbed him Surfer. His true joy was the time he spent with his family & friends. Joe never met a stranger. Everyone knew him as Pop, and if you knew Pop, you felt his love in the most genuine form. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend, who will be greatly missed.
Funeral Services 2:30pm Saturday, November 9, 2024 at Divine Mercy Lake Avenue Funeral Home, 3500 Lake Ave. with visitation from 12:00-2:30pm. Visitation also on Friday from 5-8pm. To share a remembrance of Joe or to offer condolences to his family, please visit DivineMercyFuneralHome.com.
https://www.divinemercyfuneralhome.com/obituary/joe-mckibben
Richard L. Bear
Joe and I were friends through grade school, high school and kind of lost touch after South Side. Occasional contacts kept me reminded that real friends cn pick up right where they left off, and that was certainly the case with our friendship. I vividly recall being allowed to share the thrill of driving his go-cart around the streets of Indian Village. Later in HS I enjoyed his friendship and was encouraged by his continuing positive attitude even after his terrible car wreck and recovery. He certainly was a pleasure to hang with as there was always something unplanned about to happen that you wouldn't want to miss out on. If he affected others in later life, the same way I remember him, he certainly will be missed. A terrific smile and laugh. A really fun guy. RIP Indian Joe.
Charles E. Golden
Joe was one of the Indian Village "mafia"and we spent a lot of time at his house and with him from grade school through South Side. Rick is right-- never knew what to expect-- but there was always something fun that popped up. Joe had an infectous laugh and he was always happy even when we were in some kind of trouble. I communicated with Joe a bit over the last 18 months and took great joy in seeing and talking to him on the zoom call set up at our 60th reunion Saturday night dinner. He was not in great shape during this time battling a number of health problems but even so he was still looking on the bright side of things and was more interested in how others were doing than himself.
Very big loss to all of us and his family. God bless, Joe.
Susan K. Smith (Terry)
I was in 3rd grade with Mrs Robinson at Indian Village School when our family moved to Indian Village. One of the first kids I met was Joe. He made me feel so welcome. He was fun. I believe he was sick part of that year & was missed during that time by every classmate. Joe will be missed again. My condolences to his family.
John E. Stewart
Joe was a good friend in Indian Village grade school and then junior high and high school. He lived just down the street from me in Indian Village when growing up. I agree with other comments about Joe that he was always happy and positive--never sad. We interacted a little after high school and more recently. Same old Joe. We all could learn from his attitude. I am glad that I got a chance to talk with him via Zoom at our 60th reunion. God bless Joe and best wishes to his family.
Mary Alice Truby (New)
Joe was always one of the good guys and we shared several classes at SSHS together. We lost touch for a number of years and would see eachother only at the reunions or if we were in Ft Wayne visiting family through the years. We really reconnected on Facebook being on opposite sides of the political craziness. There was respect on both sides but couldn't help but nudge eachother once in a while. He would always check in with us especially when the hurricanes were in our area, especially lately. I told him once that I would always remember his sh*t eatin' grin at SSHS and then would wonder if he had already done something or was about to do something. He will be missed.
Thomas Roberts
After highschool, I lost touch with my classmates. I went to college and law school and took a first job in the East. Several years ago my father died and Joe showed up for his funeral in Kendalville. I had not had any communication with Joe (or for that matter anyone else from Ft. Wayne) in around 50 years. I did not see or talk to Joe again until this August. I recieved an email from a lady who I believe lived in Dallas, telling me she was a friend of Joe and his family and teling me about Joe's declining health and asking me to reach out to him. I do not lknow who she was but I sent him an email and then called him and we spoke for a long time. He told me in great detail about a very facinating period in his life spent in Denton, Texas, . He encouraged me to come to the 60th Reunion but I had a family conflict and could not attend. I also sent him a few emails after that and was planning on calling him again when I learned of his death. Joe clearly lead a very facinating life in a number of different places and a number of different enterprises. During the time since I spoke with Joe this summer and in part prompted by the comments of others about Joe, many ot the great times Joe and I had together came back to me. Too little too late. Tom
Michael L. Byrd
After my open heart surgery in November of 2023, I learned that Joe was in Lutheran hospital in the same cardiac icu as me. We had both gone through open heart surgery within a few days of each other. Unfortunately, Joe didn't recover from his surgery as quickly as I. I contacted his daughter, Meg, who told me that he was in a rehab facility. I visited him there and we commiserated regarding our cardiac issues. I know Joe had other health issues and was having a rough time recovering. Prior to this time, I would run into Joe in the neighborhood and we'd chat. He was one of the friendliest people I knew, and one of the very few of my classmates that I would see out and about. I am so sad to learn of his passing. My sincere condolences to his family.