Joseph Edward Dwyer

Joe made it to 100 and danced at his 100th Birthday dance party (attended by 147 friends)! He passed away in Edmonds 6 months later. Born in Boston, he was raised in adjacent Somerville by his father Timothy Dwyer and his mother Annie Merrick Dwyer. He graduated from Somerville High School in 1937 – the worst year of the Great Depression. He then worked as a stock clerk and a bank teller, played semi-pro baseball and, in June 1942, received an accounting degree from what is now Bentley University. In August 1942, he was inducted into the U.S. Army. Eventually, his unit was sent west to Fort Lewis, headed to the war against Japan. Always an avid dancer, Joe quickly found his way to U.S.O. dances. At one, he became enthralled with a young former Daffodil Princess from Sumner – Louise Sperb. When Louise died in 2016, she had been married to Joe for almost 70 years. Just before Joe’s unit deployed to the Pacific, he was reassigned. His new unit was sent back east, boarded the Queen Mary, disembarked in Scotland, and marched into England. Soon thereafter, Joe walked into France on Omaha Beach. Duty took him across France and into Germany. He was a Staff Sergeant upon his honorable discharge in January 1946. Joe immediately bought a well-worn used car, drove across America, and married Louise in Tacoma in June 1946. They then drove back to Boston. After the war, Joe earned a B.A. in business from Northeastern University. He then worked for the V.A., the Post Office, and the Internal Revenue Service. In the IRS he was a revenue officer, an auditor, and a special agent in the intelligence division (investigating tax-related criminal activity). In 1962, he was transferred to Seattle to serve as Inspector in Charge of the region’s Inspection Division (investigating possible criminal or civil wrongdoing by IRS employees). In 1970, Joe became Inspector in Charge of the Inspection Division of the newly created Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1973, Joe started his last job: Special Agent in Charge of Investigation for the western U.S. regions of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Joe loved this work. As a kid who grew up in a tough place during tough times, he absolutely believed that government has a role to play in helping those in need. But he detested those who stole or diverted funds intended to help the needy. His desire to help others, coupled with his sense of right and wrong, combined to make him a dogged pursuer of those who illegally lined their pockets with tax dollars. In 1978, Joe began his 42 year retirement. He and Louise bought property on Hood Canal in 1969 and built a house there. In retirement, they traveled extensively but mainly split time between Edmonds and The Canal. They loved to dance, loved to visit and host friends, and took daily walks through Edmonds for decades. Joe was a wonderful husband and a great Dad. He was active in the lives of Anne and Steve and their friends. If a school event or game was scheduled, Joe was there. The same was true of his grandchildren, of whom he was immensely proud. Laughter was a constant in our home. Joe was supportive and eternally optimistic. He was just simply a great guy. Joe is survived by his daughter Anne Barker of Sammamish and his son Steve (Karen) Dwyer of Edmonds, his grandsons Michael (Ashley) and Jason (Kathleen) Barker, and David Dwyer, and his great-grandchildren Jonathan, Christine, Leland, Lilly and Austin Barker. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Buddy Dwyer, his sisters, Virginia Dwyer and Dolly Greeley, his wife Louise Dwyer, his son-in-law Donald Barker, and Eddie Gaines, his best childhood friend, who was killed in action in the Ardennes in December 1944. A Funeral Mass will be held on September 11, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 630 7th Avenue North in Edmonds. Arrangements by Beck’s Tribute Center, Edmonds.