Joseph Anthony Muzquiz

born 2/11/49

died 7/19/10

U.S. Army Veteran

Joe was the very first person my wife Kim encountered when we began the ministry of Prodigal’s Home. She saw he had a crossword puzzle and, loving crossword puzzles herself, she decided to start a conversation with Joe. Since it was her first day in serving the homeless, she was nervous. But the crossword puzzle gave them common ground. She ended up spending just about all of that first day with Joe.

He was a very learned man. He read frequently. He loved the Clan of the Cave Bear series. He was something of a loner, yet he was never averse to sharing a picnic bench with anyone who wanted to talk.

Kim remembers when Lucky came into Joe’s life. The dog had been abandoned, and Lucky adopted Joe! They were inseparable.

Joe was with us from the beginning, and came with us to El Gran Taco when we moved there. He wasn’t comfortable when we moved to CrossRoads; it was outside the Sunnyslope neighborhood — and it was at a church. Out of Joe’s comfort zone!

One Sunday morning I found two newspapers in my front yard. I figured it was just a mistake. Second week, two papers again. OK, this is weird. On the third Sunday, again with two newspapers in the driveway, I asked Kim what was going on. “It’s for my new friend Joe,” she said. She wanted him to have the weekly Sunday New York Times and L.A. Times crossword puzzles. But she didn’t want to give them up herself. So she ordered a second newspaper — just for the crossword puzzle. I suggested to her that there were books out there full of crossword puzzles, and it would be cheaper to buy Joe one of those. “That wouldn’t be the same,” she replied. To a crossword puzzle fan, the New York Times and L.A. Times crossword puzzles are special. She wanted to give him the best. So we kept getting two newspapers. A couple weeks ago, we finally canceled our second subscription. Joe won’t need those papers anymore.

Lucky had puppies last year. The Humane Society took Lucky and the puppies from Joe. This absolutely broke his heart. He wasn’t the same afterward. Much of his reason for living — being able to care for something other than himself — had been taken away from him. Joe had always been a bit of drinker … but he really started pounding the beers after that.

This is what ended up killing him.

On Sunday, July 18, Joe was drinking heavily. He became extremely dehydrated. He died from complications of heat exhaustion.

The homeless in Sunnyslope have made a memorial at his camp site in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.

So Prodigal’s Home held its first “official” memorial service on July 31st. While others in our “family” have died before, we never felt we had enough trust and respect in the homeless community to hold such a service. This time was different. Many people came to us asking if Prodigal’s Home would be holding the service for Joe. It was just assumed that this would be in our court. I thank God for the way He has given us favor in this mission field of often deeply skeptical, distrustful people.

A volunteer brought in a huge bouquet of flowers for the service. Kim and I sat on stools and began telling stories about Joe and his life and our relationship with him. Soon others were telling stories too. Quite a cast of characters in that memorial service!

The government buries “indigents” like Joe in a field way out west, past the White Tank Mountains. Prisoners dig the graves and bury the dead. No one is allowed to attend. No family, no friends. And no reason given for the ban.

But we have made a pledge to the people of Sunnyslope: NO ONE will ever go unremembered in our community. We may be prohibited by the state from attending the burial, but we will hold a memorial service for anyone who dies in our community of faith. THEY WILL BE REMEMBERED. NO ONE WILL DIE ALONE.

Rest in peace, Joe. We can only imagine you with Jesus, laughing, free, clean. Maybe talking crossword puzzles.