June 19, 1951 ~ Nov. 11, 2022
Francis “Joe” Fennessy, 71, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Nov. 11, 2022, after a long battle with cancer. He was the son of the late Francis and Rosemary (Lyons) Fennessy. He is remembered fondly by his family: Margie and Larry Tricerri, Doris and Jesse Flores, Janet Fennessy, Rose and Donal Carroll, and Mike and Kristen Fennessy, his many nieces, nephews, great-niece and great-nephews.
Joe was always up for an adventure and a bright light at every family gathering. He will also be remembered by the many friends he made over the years and the wonderful community of Meeker, Colorado, where he made his home for the last 40 years.
Joe was born and raised in East Hartford, Connecticut, where he excelled in school. Upon graduating East Catholic High School, he set off for the University of Tulsa where he graduated with a degree in law. From there, he attended the University of Denver where he received a Master’s Degree in laws and taxation. Shortly thereafter, in 1981, he took a job as the deputy district attorney in Meeker and then as a prosecutor for five years before returning to Yale University as a special student where he studied chemistry, physics and calculus. After four semesters, he returned to Meeker again as a prosecutor before opening up a private practice and becoming a Rio Blanco County Court Judge in 2020.
As part of the Meeker community, Joe loved to spend time participating in several organizations including the Meeker Chamber of Commerce with hopes to promote economic growth for the town. For several years, he served on the finance council of the Holy Family Catholic Church and was a volunteer firefighter and EMT at the Meeker Volunteer Fire and Rescue from which he retired after 20 years of service. In addition to these organizations, he also devoted himself as a volunteer at the 9News Fair blood drive, Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials, and the Fourth of July Range Call Celebrations.
To say Joe was an interesting guy would be an understatement. To say he was a nice guy would be the understatement of the century. His loved ones can recount several stories of cross-country drives to buy wagon wheels for his cannon, white water rafting trips, elk hunts, thousands of hikes and fishing trips with his dogs, helping people as a firefighter and countless other tales he would tell over pints at the Irish Club in Connecticut. He also did the little things people never forget like making sure to bring poinsettias to his parents every Christmas, teaching his nephews how to build toolboxes and birdhouses around the holidays and showing up at the bank every St. Patrick’s Day with Guinness for the staff.
Simply put, Joe was a humble, great man who would give you the shirt off his back. He will be greatly missed by those who loved him and by those who felt the benefits of his hard work over his too short but very full 71 years.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Holy Family Catholic Church, 889 Park Ave, Meeker, Colorado, on Friday, Dec. 2, at 10 a.m. Interment to follow at Highland Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made payable to Holy Family Catholic Church Building Fund, C/O Grant Mortuary, 621 Yampa Ave., Craig, CO 81625
Joe’s family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff of the Pioneers Medical Center Emergency Department that cared for Joe.
Will be so missed