Joe Breimayer was the second son of Crystal Helen Reeves Breimayer and Ronald Joseph Breimayer. He was born May 4, 1942 in Belding MI, eleven years after the birth of their first son Roland Anthony "Ron" Breimayer and prior to the births of his sisters Mary Iris Breimayer Fredricks and Barbara Jane Breimayer Klein, who survive him and now reside in Ottawa County MI. After a short battle with pancreatic cancer, Joe Breimayer died on October 5 in 2023.
His early years were spent on a farm south of Belding MI where he attended a one room school with his sisters and several of his Breimayer cousins. The family moved to Belding around 1952, and Joe graduated from Belding High School in 1960. During these years he worked part time at Kennedy Grocery in Kiddeville and as a carpenter's apprentice for his father, starting to learn the skills he later employed in restoring and remodeling his homes.
After being encouraged in high school by his science teacher Joe enrolled in a pre-engineering program at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI, later transferring to the University of Detroit and graduating with a B.E.E. degree in 1965. The U of D co-op engineering program involved alternate quarters of work and study. After an assignment with Honeywell Inc in Minneapolis he fell in love with Minnesota, especially the lakes, and he learned to ski.
In 1965 after deciding to become a patent attorney Joe was hired by the US Patent Office and enrolled in night law school at George Washington University in Washington DC. There he met and fell in love with Margaret Anne "Peggy" Murphy, who accepted his proposal. They married on August 26, 1967 at her parents' parish church in Marion NY. On October 6, 1969 their first daughter Kathleen Anne "Kate" was born. He graduated in 1969 with a JD degree, passed the DC Bar exam, and began to look for a job as a licensed patent attorney, settling on Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY where they were close to Peggy's parents and siblings.
Joe passed the NY Bar exam and began his training in US and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, licensing and product clearance. In 1972 they were blessed with the birth of their second daughter Deborah Lynne "Debi".
In 1973 Joe became a member of the Minnesota Bar and joined Medtronic Inc. in the Twin Cities area as its second patent attorney, where during his 17 year tenure he became responsible for all patent matters including US and foreign patent litigation. Joe and Peggy purchased a house referred to as "The Castle" in Golden Valley, extensively remodeling it in 1997 and residing there until 2009. Their daughter Elizabeth "Liz" was born March 30, 1978. In 1984 they purchased a lake cabin on Lower Whitefish Lake near Crosslake MN, which they extensively remodeled and enjoyed with their children, grandchildren and friends until they sold it in 2015.
Joe went into private practice in 1990 in Minneapolis, providing patent services principally for Medtronic, Kodak, a few small medical device companies, and a few select individual inventors. Retiring in 2004, Joe turned his attention to family genealogy, travel, skiing, wilderness canoeing, choral singing, and enjoying the pleasures of cabin life on Whitefish Lake.
In 2008 Joe and Peggy purchased a home in Lake Oswego OR to be close to Kate and Liz in Portland and Debi in Palo Alto CA, and sold the castle in 2009. They continued to spend summers at the cabin in Minnesota over the next six years before regretfully selling it in 2015. Joe continued to sing in choral groups in the Portland area including singing with the choir at Our Lake of the Lake in Lake Oswego.
Joe's interest in genealogy led to 20 years of research completed on his Breimayer and Smith ancestors as well as Peggy's Murphy ancestors. He also created, edited and linked the Find a Grave memorials for these relatives and others interred in and around his hometown of Belding MI. A concise version of his Breimayer ancestry traced back to the mid-1600's is included in Find A Grave memorials that he managed starting at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42883516/ferdinand-breimayer. In the process of his research he discovered distant relatives who became friends and added greatly to the body of knowledge he had accumulated.
Joe was predeceased by his parents, brother Ron and nephews Jim and Joel Breimayer. He is survived by his wife Peggy, their daughters, and their grandchildren Charley Snipp, Josephine "Fran" Snipp, Jack Taylor, and Madeline Taylor. He also leaves behind his many long term best friends, particularly his college roommate Dennis Boruta and his fellow canoeist Dr Richard "Dick" Adair, both residing in the Twin Cities, and all those that he has enjoyed working, skiing and singing with. For these family and friends and all the blessings that he received during his lifetime including finally the time to prepare for his death, Joe's heart is eternally grateful.
His early years were spent on a farm south of Belding MI where he attended a one room school with his sisters and several of his Breimayer cousins. The family moved to Belding around 1952, and Joe graduated from Belding High School in 1960. During these years he worked part time at Kennedy Grocery in Kiddeville and as a carpenter's apprentice for his father, starting to learn the skills he later employed in restoring and remodeling his homes.
After being encouraged in high school by his science teacher Joe enrolled in a pre-engineering program at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI, later transferring to the University of Detroit and graduating with a B.E.E. degree in 1965. The U of D co-op engineering program involved alternate quarters of work and study. After an assignment with Honeywell Inc in Minneapolis he fell in love with Minnesota, especially the lakes, and he learned to ski.
In 1965 after deciding to become a patent attorney Joe was hired by the US Patent Office and enrolled in night law school at George Washington University in Washington DC. There he met and fell in love with Margaret Anne "Peggy" Murphy, who accepted his proposal. They married on August 26, 1967 at her parents' parish church in Marion NY. On October 6, 1969 their first daughter Kathleen Anne "Kate" was born. He graduated in 1969 with a JD degree, passed the DC Bar exam, and began to look for a job as a licensed patent attorney, settling on Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY where they were close to Peggy's parents and siblings.
Joe passed the NY Bar exam and began his training in US and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, licensing and product clearance. In 1972 they were blessed with the birth of their second daughter Deborah Lynne "Debi".
In 1973 Joe became a member of the Minnesota Bar and joined Medtronic Inc. in the Twin Cities area as its second patent attorney, where during his 17 year tenure he became responsible for all patent matters including US and foreign patent litigation. Joe and Peggy purchased a house referred to as "The Castle" in Golden Valley, extensively remodeling it in 1997 and residing there until 2009. Their daughter Elizabeth "Liz" was born March 30, 1978. In 1984 they purchased a lake cabin on Lower Whitefish Lake near Crosslake MN, which they extensively remodeled and enjoyed with their children, grandchildren and friends until they sold it in 2015.
Joe went into private practice in 1990 in Minneapolis, providing patent services principally for Medtronic, Kodak, a few small medical device companies, and a few select individual inventors. Retiring in 2004, Joe turned his attention to family genealogy, travel, skiing, wilderness canoeing, choral singing, and enjoying the pleasures of cabin life on Whitefish Lake.
In 2008 Joe and Peggy purchased a home in Lake Oswego OR to be close to Kate and Liz in Portland and Debi in Palo Alto CA, and sold the castle in 2009. They continued to spend summers at the cabin in Minnesota over the next six years before regretfully selling it in 2015. Joe continued to sing in choral groups in the Portland area including singing with the choir at Our Lake of the Lake in Lake Oswego.
Joe's interest in genealogy led to 20 years of research completed on his Breimayer and Smith ancestors as well as Peggy's Murphy ancestors. He also created, edited and linked the Find a Grave memorials for these relatives and others interred in and around his hometown of Belding MI. A concise version of his Breimayer ancestry traced back to the mid-1600's is included in Find A Grave memorials that he managed starting at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42883516/ferdinand-breimayer. In the process of his research he discovered distant relatives who became friends and added greatly to the body of knowledge he had accumulated.
Joe was predeceased by his parents, brother Ron and nephews Jim and Joel Breimayer. He is survived by his wife Peggy, their daughters, and their grandchildren Charley Snipp, Josephine "Fran" Snipp, Jack Taylor, and Madeline Taylor. He also leaves behind his many long term best friends, particularly his college roommate Dennis Boruta and his fellow canoeist Dr Richard "Dick" Adair, both residing in the Twin Cities, and all those that he has enjoyed working, skiing and singing with. For these family and friends and all the blessings that he received during his lifetime including finally the time to prepare for his death, Joe's heart is eternally grateful.
Joe Breimayer was the second son of Crystal Helen Reeves Breimayer and Ronald Joseph Breimayer. He was born May 4, 1942 in Belding MI, eleven years after the birth of their first son Roland Anthony "Ron" Breimayer and prior to the births of his sisters Mary Iris Breimayer Fredricks and Barbara Jane Breimayer Klein, who survive him and now reside in Ottawa County MI. After a short battle with pancreatic cancer, Joe Breimayer died on October 5 in 2023.
His early years were spent on a farm south of Belding MI where he attended a one room school with his sisters and several of his Breimayer cousins. The family moved to Belding around 1952, and Joe graduated from Belding High School in 1960. During these years he worked part time at Kennedy Grocery in Kiddeville and as a carpenter's apprentice for his father, starting to learn the skills he later employed in restoring and remodeling his homes.
After being encouraged in high school by his science teacher Joe enrolled in a pre-engineering program at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI, later transferring to the University of Detroit and graduating with a B.E.E. degree in 1965. The U of D co-op engineering program involved alternate quarters of work and study. After an assignment with Honeywell Inc in Minneapolis he fell in love with Minnesota, especially the lakes, and he learned to ski.
In 1965 after deciding to become a patent attorney Joe was hired by the US Patent Office and enrolled in night law school at George Washington University in Washington DC. There he met and fell in love with Margaret Anne "Peggy" Murphy, who accepted his proposal. They married on August 26, 1967 at her parents' parish church in Marion NY. On October 6, 1969 their first daughter Kathleen Anne "Kate" was born. He graduated in 1969 with a JD degree, passed the DC Bar exam, and began to look for a job as a licensed patent attorney, settling on Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY where they were close to Peggy's parents and siblings.
Joe passed the NY Bar exam and began his training in US and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, licensing and product clearance. In 1972 they were blessed with the birth of their second daughter Deborah Lynne "Debi".
In 1973 Joe became a member of the Minnesota Bar and joined Medtronic Inc. in the Twin Cities area as its second patent attorney, where during his 17 year tenure he became responsible for all patent matters including US and foreign patent litigation. Joe and Peggy purchased a house referred to as "The Castle" in Golden Valley, extensively remodeling it in 1997 and residing there until 2009. Their daughter Elizabeth "Liz" was born March 30, 1978. In 1984 they purchased a lake cabin on Lower Whitefish Lake near Crosslake MN, which they extensively remodeled and enjoyed with their children, grandchildren and friends until they sold it in 2015.
Joe went into private practice in 1990 in Minneapolis, providing patent services principally for Medtronic, Kodak, a few small medical device companies, and a few select individual inventors. Retiring in 2004, Joe turned his attention to family genealogy, travel, skiing, wilderness canoeing, choral singing, and enjoying the pleasures of cabin life on Whitefish Lake.
In 2008 Joe and Peggy purchased a home in Lake Oswego OR to be close to Kate and Liz in Portland and Debi in Palo Alto CA, and sold the castle in 2009. They continued to spend summers at the cabin in Minnesota over the next six years before regretfully selling it in 2015. Joe continued to sing in choral groups in the Portland area including singing with the choir at Our Lake of the Lake in Lake Oswego.
Joe's interest in genealogy led to 20 years of research completed on his Breimayer and Smith ancestors as well as Peggy's Murphy ancestors. He also created, edited and linked the Find a Grave memorials for these relatives and others interred in and around his hometown of Belding MI. A concise version of his Breimayer ancestry traced back to the mid-1600's is included in Find A Grave memorials that he managed starting at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42883516/ferdinand-breimayer. In the process of his research he discovered distant relatives who became friends and added greatly to the body of knowledge he had accumulated.
Joe was predeceased by his parents, brother Ron and nephews Jim and Joel Breimayer. He is survived by his wife Peggy, their daughters, and their grandchildren Charley Snipp, Josephine "Fran" Snipp, Jack Taylor, and Madeline Taylor. He also leaves behind his many long term best friends, particularly his college roommate Dennis Boruta and his fellow canoeist Dr Richard "Dick" Adair, both residing in the Twin Cities, and all those that he has enjoyed working, skiing and singing with. For these family and friends and all the blessings that he received during his lifetime including finally the time to prepare for his death, Joe's heart is eternally grateful.
His early years were spent on a farm south of Belding MI where he attended a one room school with his sisters and several of his Breimayer cousins. The family moved to Belding around 1952, and Joe graduated from Belding High School in 1960. During these years he worked part time at Kennedy Grocery in Kiddeville and as a carpenter's apprentice for his father, starting to learn the skills he later employed in restoring and remodeling his homes.
After being encouraged in high school by his science teacher Joe enrolled in a pre-engineering program at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI, later transferring to the University of Detroit and graduating with a B.E.E. degree in 1965. The U of D co-op engineering program involved alternate quarters of work and study. After an assignment with Honeywell Inc in Minneapolis he fell in love with Minnesota, especially the lakes, and he learned to ski.
In 1965 after deciding to become a patent attorney Joe was hired by the US Patent Office and enrolled in night law school at George Washington University in Washington DC. There he met and fell in love with Margaret Anne "Peggy" Murphy, who accepted his proposal. They married on August 26, 1967 at her parents' parish church in Marion NY. On October 6, 1969 their first daughter Kathleen Anne "Kate" was born. He graduated in 1969 with a JD degree, passed the DC Bar exam, and began to look for a job as a licensed patent attorney, settling on Eastman Kodak in Rochester NY where they were close to Peggy's parents and siblings.
Joe passed the NY Bar exam and began his training in US and foreign patent preparation and prosecution, licensing and product clearance. In 1972 they were blessed with the birth of their second daughter Deborah Lynne "Debi".
In 1973 Joe became a member of the Minnesota Bar and joined Medtronic Inc. in the Twin Cities area as its second patent attorney, where during his 17 year tenure he became responsible for all patent matters including US and foreign patent litigation. Joe and Peggy purchased a house referred to as "The Castle" in Golden Valley, extensively remodeling it in 1997 and residing there until 2009. Their daughter Elizabeth "Liz" was born March 30, 1978. In 1984 they purchased a lake cabin on Lower Whitefish Lake near Crosslake MN, which they extensively remodeled and enjoyed with their children, grandchildren and friends until they sold it in 2015.
Joe went into private practice in 1990 in Minneapolis, providing patent services principally for Medtronic, Kodak, a few small medical device companies, and a few select individual inventors. Retiring in 2004, Joe turned his attention to family genealogy, travel, skiing, wilderness canoeing, choral singing, and enjoying the pleasures of cabin life on Whitefish Lake.
In 2008 Joe and Peggy purchased a home in Lake Oswego OR to be close to Kate and Liz in Portland and Debi in Palo Alto CA, and sold the castle in 2009. They continued to spend summers at the cabin in Minnesota over the next six years before regretfully selling it in 2015. Joe continued to sing in choral groups in the Portland area including singing with the choir at Our Lake of the Lake in Lake Oswego.
Joe's interest in genealogy led to 20 years of research completed on his Breimayer and Smith ancestors as well as Peggy's Murphy ancestors. He also created, edited and linked the Find a Grave memorials for these relatives and others interred in and around his hometown of Belding MI. A concise version of his Breimayer ancestry traced back to the mid-1600's is included in Find A Grave memorials that he managed starting at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42883516/ferdinand-breimayer. In the process of his research he discovered distant relatives who became friends and added greatly to the body of knowledge he had accumulated.
Joe was predeceased by his parents, brother Ron and nephews Jim and Joel Breimayer. He is survived by his wife Peggy, their daughters, and their grandchildren Charley Snipp, Josephine "Fran" Snipp, Jack Taylor, and Madeline Taylor. He also leaves behind his many long term best friends, particularly his college roommate Dennis Boruta and his fellow canoeist Dr Richard "Dick" Adair, both residing in the Twin Cities, and all those that he has enjoyed working, skiing and singing with. For these family and friends and all the blessings that he received during his lifetime including finally the time to prepare for his death, Joe's heart is eternally grateful.
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