Richard "Dick" Joseph

Richard ("Dick") Joseph, age 67, of Charlevoix passed away July 30, surrounded by family, after a courageous struggle against years of complications following a 2002 accident that had left him paralyzed from the waist down. Both before and after becoming paralyzed, Dick was a leader in his community, especially in business and education, and after his accident he became an inspiration to everyone who knew him. Time and again, he battled back against seemingly impossible odds. Over many years and right through to the end, his will to keep fighting never left him. Nor did his devotion to his family and community.

 Dick was born in Grayling in 1957 and graduated from Grayling High School in 1975. He competed on the ski team and served as class president while in high school, in addition to being a member of the National Honor Society. In 1979, he received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, where he was a member of the Psi U fraternity. Dick attended law school at Detroit College of Law, graduating in 1985. He began his legal career at Simpson and Moran in Birmingham, MI and then moved to the firm's Charlevoix office, as he wanted to get back to northern Michigan. He married Allison Townsend in 1989, and they made their home in Charlevoix. Dick quickly became one of the leading business attorneys in Charlevoix and actively practiced until a few years ago when health issues began taking a toll. He also owned Charlevoix Abstract and Title Company. Dick was admired for his leadership in the community. He served for years as president of the Charlevoix Chamber of Commerce and was an early member of the board of trustees of the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, serving from 1999-2005. Dick believed strongly in public education, and he gave countless hours in support of school millage campaigns. He was elected to the Charlevoix School Board, serving from 2012 to 2024. The kind of business and community leadership Dick believed in was associated with his family's history in Grayling. In fact, Dick remained proud throughout his life of his family's connection to Grayling and their long history as business owners there who cared about and were involved in the community. Between college and law school, Dick moved home to manage the Grayling Mercantile Co. ("The Merc"), a department store in downtown Grayling that his family had owned and operated since the 1880s. Not surprisingly, Dick was among the first group of inductees into the Grayling High School Hall of Fame. 

Dick loved his family, his community, and his profession. He was also a skilled debater and a tough fighter when it came to politics. He defended his liberal values with creativity and passion, but always argued against his many conservative friends with respect and wit. Dick had a rare force of attraction about him, so that even those he debated -- even if they didn't share his liberal politics or root for U-M sports -- liked, respected, and admired him. He was loved for his warmth, his inimitable sense of humor, his intelligence, his willingness to stand up for his beliefs, and the irreplaceable part he played in his family as a loving father, husband, brother, and uncle. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and he made so many lives so much richer.

Dick Joseph is survived by his wife, Allison, their two daughters Alyssia (Gary Pawson) and Savannah (Collin Bajko), their granddaughter Lilliana, brother William (Bill) and sister-in-law Linda Joseph, his faithful dog Oakley, and many many friends, relatives and caregivers who were always there for him along his brave journey. 

 In honor of Dick’s service to the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, memorial contributions can be made to the Trustees Fund for the Community using the following link:

https://cthreef.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1426

A Celebration of Life will be held at The Boathouse in East Jordan on Sunday, September 1, from 3-6pm.

Arrangements are in the care of the Charlevoix Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes. Please sign his online guestbook www.mortensenfuneralhomes.com.