Dad, husband, brother, friend. Born on Aug. 4, 1959, in St. Boniface, Man.; died on July 6, 2014, in Gatineau Park, Que., of a heart attack, aged 54.
The son of a war veteran-turned-farmer and a teacher, born in a small town but living in a big city, Joe was an archetypal Canadian. The youngest in a family of three sons and a daughter, he was proud of his Manitoba ways and made them front and centre in his favourite activities – discovering new places, people and food. He incorporated new experiences into how he lived his life, on his own terms but always welcoming the opinions and ways of others.
His second marriage, to Patricia Parulekar in August, 2006, was far too short. They had each worked on Parliament Hill in the 1980s, he for the Liberal Party's research bureau and she for a Liberal MP, and were instantly attracted when they met again in 2000 through mutual friends.
Joe and Patricia shared a passion for adventure and travel (he proposed on a trip to Berlin) and wherever they went, he made friends. Kurdish waiters in Istanbul poured out heart-breaking stories of their lives as refugees. Costa Rican fishermen talked about their pride in their country's protection of ocean fronts. Joe was insatiably curious and relished these intense conversations with strangers, internalizing them to make himself a better man.
Joe's many friends – from school days, hockey teams, clients, neighbours, Parliament Hill – knew an intelligent raconteur who entertained at dinner parties with much laughter and grand visions. Whether the topic was a coast-to-coast energy "spine" for the country, or finding new ways to help Canadian farmers sell their products to the world, Joe's views were backed by first-hand experience and intense study. Disagreeing was challenging for those not on their toes.
Over the past 25 years, his Ottawa-based consulting firm, the Thomsen Corporation, developed a national reputation in agricultural, economic, environmental and public-policy services. His B.Sc. (1982) and master's degrees (1985) from the University of Manitoba were in agricultural economics, but Joe told everyone that his best lessons came from his parents – hard work, perseverance and a welcoming dinner table.
Ariana and Gabriel, the children of his first marriage to Consuelo Francolini, are just as kind and fun-loving as their dad. And just as proud of their multiethnic roots. After he died, they got tattoos reading "Gives ya push" – Joe's favourite way of saying, "Don't let what life throws at you get you down."
Joe loved sports, especially hockey, a passion born on outdoor rinks in Manitoba. A recent hip ailment had taken him away from his beloved hockey, leaving his other favourite pastime, cycling in Gatineau Park. He suffered a heart attack while tackling one of the more demanding peaks in the park. We can imagine his glare at each turn and punishing grade.
He was given to the earth next to his parents in the family plot in Kingsley, Man., on Aug. 4, his birthday. The ceremony was as he would have wanted it: simple, genuine, unrehearsed and unconventional.
Patricia Parulekar is Joe's wife; Pierre Parulekar is his brother-in-law.