A Nostalgic Look at Dad's Writing on What Would Have Been His 72nd Birthday

And a short press release that shares about his life and creative work.

My dad passed away on Christmas Eve 2022. It’s weird to think it has almost been two years. It feels like so much less. And so much more. Today would have been his 72nd birthday. And the truth is, we didn’t think he’d make it to seventy throughout most of the decades preceding it, so 70 was special. On this day, I thought I’d share a couple of things with you. First is a short press release that I wrote about him when we were seeking to raise GoFundMe money to help pay for the medical costs of that last challenging year. And then is a selection of his journal pages.

Press Release: Tucson Wood Artist Turns To Community in Time of Need

Joe Vercillo has spent the past fifty years quietly building one of a kind woodwork for residents and businesses throughout Tucson. And now he’s turning to this community to help him and his family in a time of great need.

Perhaps over the years you’ve met Joe at one of his favorite haunts (Time Market, Presta, Cartel Coffee, Antigone Books, 5 Points, to name just a few …), you got to talking to him about books and art, and received the gift of one of his JoePipes, custom cutting boards, or wooden jewelry, all crafted from ethically harvested urban hardwoods that he sources himself from the Midwest. Or maybe you don’t know him by name but have sat on the benches he crafted for Exo Coffee, seen him dropping off a set of Arizona sunset plaques he’s crafted for Tuller Trophy, or had dinner in a private Tucson home at one of the amazing tables he’s made for dining rooms over the years. If you’re a woodworker, maybe you have bought some of his wood at Woodcraft or even directly from his own home shop.

Joe moved to Tucson from his hometown of Ashland, Ohio, during his college years, and he’s been a fixture on the Tucson scene ever since, even if you don’t know him by name. In the 1980’s and 1990’s his children attended Brichta Elementary, where he volunteered often in the classroom, even teaching basic wood art to kindergarten children. He continued making unique furniture for homes all throughout Arizona while also taking on bigger projects such as crafting the long-ago Park Mall’s wooden planters. His children went on to Mansfeld Middle School, Tucson and University High Schools, Pima College and the U of A, contributing to the community in their own ways through social work, literary events, basketball and other sports, and plant sciences/gardening. Inspired in part by their dad’s self-employment, they have all moved on now to other cities where they each have their own businesses in art/therapy writing, dog hiking/pet therapy, and landscaping. Meanwhile, Joe has continued to nurture a new generation of creatives by inviting dozens of young people into his shop in recent years to learn the art of woodworking hands-on at no charge.

He has done this through decades of sickness. In the late 1990’s, he was diagnosed with kidney failure due to diabetes, and his family didn’t think that he would survive. He lived for years on dialysis before he finally received the kidney transplant that changed his life forever. Shortly after, he received a pancreas transplant, putting an end to the diabetes and allowing him a new lease on life. For many years, he was an active participant in a transplant support group, and on many occasions he has visited friends in the hospital while they coped with their own health challenges.

2022 has been a rough year for Joe, though, and he is in need of support. Earlier this year he contracted a lung infection and a variety of complications that put his life at great risk. His adult kids flew back there, nursing him back to health. However, a few weeks ago, his pancreas transplant gave out and he went into diabetic insulin reactions. He went to Banner Hospital ICU where he was put on IVs, at which time they realized he had pneumonia. The second night that he was there, he suffered a massive heart attack. He is not stable enough for the bypass surgery that he needs but they have been able to put in five stents. His heart is now well and they are working on getting the blood sugar under control. He will have to go back on insulin for life, which puts his kidney transplant at risk, but he’s going to come through this.

Dad’s Journal Pages

I miss you Dad. I wish you could read this.