Joseph Charles De Castro Jr.

Joseph Charles DeCastro Jr., 76, passed away on September 7, 2024 at home in Midway, Utah. He was born on January 11, 1948, in Boston, Massachusetts to Priscilla Jessie Liljegren and Joseph Charles DeCastro. Joe grew up with his two brothers and sister in Massachusetts, but as the son of a career military man he spent the younger years of his childhood in Okinawa, Japan, and later attended an American high school in Germany.

Joe was a scholar of many subjects, his favorites being science, religion, and finding the best deals on any and everything, especially candy bars. He attended and graduated from Boston State College and the University of Massachusetts in Boston with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in teaching and physics. He taught science in Massachusetts for one year before the wind blew Joe onto his next journey.

His continued thirst for knowledge led him across the country from Massachusetts to Utah, after he joined the LDS church at 23. In Utah, he met his sweetheart, Patricia Nielsen, while attending BYU for a year. Pat and Joe were married on August 22, 1978 in the Salt Lake Temple.

At BYU, Joe received his Special Education credentials and he and Pat moved to Wasatch County. They spent their marriage in beautiful Midway, Utah where they raised their five children and multiple cats. Joe spent his career teaching special education at Wasatch Middle School. He always had a goofy grin on his face, a drawer full of candy, and the latest computer games for his students to try out. He loved his students, and they loved “Mr. De”, as he was so fondly nicknamed at school.

In addition to teaching, Joe held many church callings for the LDS church throughout his life. Most important to him was his family and his service to the church. He loved opportunities to teach the gospel and especially loved his time with Pat as MLS missionaries. Family history and temple work were paramount in recent years. Weekly trips to the temple to do family names were a highlight. This past year, as his eyesight failed and health issues persisted, it made it too difficult for him to do temple work, which deeply saddened him.

Joe served on the Wasatch County Library board for several years and was a volunteer at the 2002 SLC Winter Olympics. He was a faithful and busy Swiss Days volunteer for many years as well. He did all these duties joyfully.

Joe enjoyed time spent with family and grandkids. During his retired years, he was able to travel to many countries in Europe, including Italy and the Czech Republic to visit his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. Pat and Joe also traveled together on a cruise to Mexico and Alaska. Joe had a big sweet tooth and loved his ice cream and treats, black licorice being one of his absolute favorites. He was a big Boston Red Sox fan, a lover of books and historical and science fiction, and enjoyed time spent with his record collection listening to multi-genre music.

Joe is preceded in death by his mother and father, younger brother, Scott, and big sister, Denise who died at birth. He is survived by his wife Patricia, brother Robert (Laurie), sister Tina Beltran (Pete), nieces and nephews, and his children Jessie Bryner (Jeff), Kirstin Anderson (Joe), Scott (Tereza), Annika Brown (Vance), Alison Jarrett (Travis), and 15 much loved grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, September 13 at 11:00 am at Legacy Ward Building, 250 East 200 South, in Midway, UT with a viewing held on Thursday, September 12 from 6:00 – 8:00pm and Friday, September 13, 9:30 - 10:30 am. Interment will be at the Midway Cemetery.

**To stream the services, please visit: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/104474/hash:777F2C4F4A8FFC4F