Joseph Start
Oct. 13,1942 – Dec.15, 2025
Joseph Eugene Start, 83, a longtime Sweet Home resident, died Dec.15, 2025.
He was born Oct. 13, 1942, in Seattle and grew up in Bothell Wash. He attended Everett Community College, then finished his undergraduate work at Western Washington
University. He also attended Oregon State University, earning a teaching credential.
Joe led an adventurous life. He loved drum circles, snow skiing and the great outdoors. He was an avid collector of old bottles collecting hundreds of unique antiques.
Joe was also an avid rockhound and collected and discovered hundreds of beautiful mineral specimens from all over the world. He drummed in an American string band, performing many local gigs.
He taught everything from Head Start and preschool to master’s-level college courses. While teaching, he was also a 20-year employee of the U.S. Forest Service, spending those seasons building and maintaining trails while fiercely protecting the forestlands; he so loved.
He also was a wildland forest firefighter for the Forest Service, being deployed as far away as Helena, Mont., for a massive “100 Year” fire, to giant fires that he could see on Green Peter Mountain from his living room in Sweet Home.
He arrived by truck or helicopter and fought fire fiercely to save the wilderness.
A teacher by trade, he raised his two children, Kerri and Jason, with his wife of 19 years,
Jan, whom he met in college. He was the driving force in starting girls’ softball and boys’ soccer in Sweet Home because he refused to have his kids denied the opportunity to compete in sports
that they cared for.
After his divorce he met Emily Christianson while traveling to see his son Jason’s last basketball game his sophomore season.
Joe lived in Silverton for 38 years.
He had seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
No services are planned.