Obituary of Joseph W. Shaughnessy

Joseph William Shaughnessy, 59, passed away on October 22, 2017 at The Lutheran Home in Belle Plaine. Memorial Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 4 at Our Lady of the Prairie Catholic Church in Belle Plaine. Visitation will be one hour prior to the Mass at church. Fr. Brian Lynch will officiate. Interment with Military Honors will be in Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic Cemetery in Belle Plaine. Please join his family for a luncheon in the church basement following his burial. Joe was born March 30, 1958 in New Prague to Leo and Mary Ann (Healy) Shaughnessy. He graduated from Belle Plaine High School in 1976. He enlisted in the Army in 1977 and served 3 years as a Border Scout with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. He patrolled the Iron Curtain Border separating West Germany from East Germany. However, his biggest battle fought was with Huntington’s disease. Through it all he never complained. If you asked him how he was doing, he’d tell you, “perfect!” No matter how bad we thought his day probably was, he ALWAYS wished you to “have a good day!” He was kind hearted, hardworking, and proud of his Irish heritage, and we will miss him dearly. Joe was a member of the Twin Cities Carpenters & Joiners Union Local 1644. He was a carpenter for Riesgraf Installations from 1982-2008 which brought him all around the United States, and he loved his job. In his free time he enjoyed cruising in the car with his friends, fishing, going to the horse track, playing cards and his trips to McDonald’s with his Ma. He was an animal lover, especially his cats Nicky, Hilda and Hank. He is survived by his mother, Mary Ann Shaughnessy; brother, Michael (Debbie) Shaughnessy; sister-in-law, Jan Shaughnessy; brothers-in-law, Joe (Linda) Fahey and Josh (Cleo) Karlberg; many nieces, nephews, relatives, friends and cat Hank. He is preceded in death by his father, Leo; sisters, Janice Fahey, Patty Karlberg and Lori Shaughnessy; and brother, Bob Shaughnessy. Urn Bearer will be his brother Michael Shaughnessy.