Joseph Hennessy

JOSEPH HENNESSY

Cedar Rapids

Joseph B. Hennessy, 87, of Cedar Rapids, died Saturday, July 18, 2015, at the Hiawatha Care Center. Services: 10 a.m. Tuesday, by the Rev. Mark Reasoner, at St. Jude Catholic Church. Burial: St. Joseph Cemetery. A vigil service will be 4 p.m. Monday at Teahen Funeral Home, where friends may visit with the family from 4 to 6 p.m., and after 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the church.

Joe was born Dec. 1, 1927, in County Clare on the west coast of Ireland, the 12th of 13 children. His father was a salmon fisherman. Though he was raised on the banks of the River Shannon and often accompanied his brothers on canoe trips into the North Atlantic, Joe never learned to swim.

Despite living through the Depression, the family never considered themselves poor. As a young man, Joe found himself in London during the late stages of World War II, where a German rocket attack left him deaf in one ear. He arrived in the United States on Sept. 25, 1951.

His sponsor in the United States was his sister, Christine, who lived in Milwaukee, with her husband, a music promoter. It was through his brother-in-law that Joe landed a job at Joe Devine's Million Dollar Ballroom and begun his "habit" of bumping into famous people. He met Betty Grable, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, a young Liberace, and a host of other musical notables.

It also was while living in Milwaukee that he met the brightest star of them all, a young blonde beauty from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, named Dorothy Cunningham. They were married at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids on Dec. 26, 1956. Together they raised three sons, William (Felicia) Hennessy (Madison, Wis.), Sean (Barbara) Hennessy (Waterloo, Wis.) and Christopher (Anne) Hennessy (Cedar Rapids).

Joe began his sales career selling Singer sewing machines. He then got a job learning the cattle feed business under his father-in-law, Bill Cunningham, selling Quaker Oats feeds. The legend was born.

In a highly competitive market, Joe quickly established himself as someone special. He became Quakers' number one salesman year after year and went on to display his talents for Wayne Feeds and Allied Mills before ending his career with F.S.

After retirement, Joe and Dorothy shared their love of travel, crossing the U.S. and Canada by bus and making many trips back to the "Old Sod" to visit relatives. They watched their sons grow up, marry and have families of their own.

Joe loved the country that adopted him and was extremely proud of his citizenship. He considered himself an American who just happened to be born in Ireland. He was always very grateful for all the opportunities America had given him. He thought it was nothing that a kid with no shoes from Kilkee could act in a movie with Sylvester Stallone, accompany Bing Crosby on a pheasant hunting trip (sort of), meet Joe Frazier in Vegas, run into George Steinbrenner and Lex Luger in a bar in Miami and have dinner with Bobby Knight and Gene Keady. Wasn't everybody that lucky?

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Michael and Mary Hennessy; all of his brothers and sisters; his in-laws, William and Verena Cunningham; and his sister-in-law, Lillian Lynch.

In addition to his sons and their wives, he is survived by his grandchildren, Ryan (Nicole) Hennessy, Erin (Kyle) Gunnerman, Meagan (Jimmy) Woestman, Colin Hennessy and Logan Hennessy; and his great- grandchildren, Elijah Woestman and Jillian Hennessy.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to a hunger relief charity of one's choice.

Online condolences may be left at www.teahen funeralhome.com.