Joe Batchelor was born March, 18, 1995.  He was only 19 years old when he died in a car accident on October 18, 2014.  In those short years, Joe made more of an impact on his friends, peers and this parish than many people do in an entire lifetime.

Joe was a courageous, friendly, compassionate and, most notably, a hilarious person who could always put a smile on anyone’s face.  He was more than just an alumnus of this school.  Joe was a good model of what a St. Joseph student should be.  He was a hard worker, and great friend, and he always put others before himself.

Joe’s death will hopefully serve as a reminder that life is a precious gift and should be treated as such.  We must spend the time we have doing things we love and surrounding ourselves with people who care for us.

Even though this unfortunate accident is difficult to understand, we have to face and accept it head on.  We must take it day by day knowing that in time things will get better because we all know Joe would want us to be happy.