Joseph John Karpiel, Jr.

Joseph John Karpiel, 77, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, passed away Thursday, September 9, 2021 at Friendship Village in Kalamazoo. Joe was born December 27, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of the late Joseph and Helen Karpiel. He is survived by his sisters, Louise (George) Spangler, Marie (John) Stimac and Jean (Barukh) Joshua, along with cousins, nephews, and nieces. In addition to his parents, Joe is preceded in death by his sister, Helene Karpiel and his brother, John Karpiel.

Joe graduated from Paw Paw Public Schools in 1962. He graduated from Western Michigan University in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Earth Science and later received a master’s degree in Biology. While in college, he worked as a lab technician at Brown Paper Company. He taught Biology and Earth Sciences at Galesburg-Augusta Middle School for 36 years. He also taught Drivers Education at Mattawan Consolidated Schools for eight years.

Joe was a Van Buren County Folk Dancer. He enjoyed playing guitar, photography, fly fishing, and portrait drawing.

Cremation has taken place. Interment will be held at Wildey Cemetery at a later date. Memorial contributions may be directed to Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan. Joe will be missed by all who knew him.