R.I.P. Joseph Lawrence Huckins

Burntown suffered a heavy loss last week when Joey Huckins passed away in a tragic work related accident. Below is the obituary as featured on Placeropolis.com

Joseph Lawrence Huckins
12/15/1978 - 4/30/2009

Joe lived life to the fullest. Joe had dreams and then he lived them as an inspiration to us all. Joe worked as a tree trimmer; a job that he dearly loved. On Thursday, April 30, in a job related accident, much too early in life, God took Joe away. Joe was everyone's favorite grandson, son, brother and uncle and friend.

Joe is survived by a large family and many friends. His parents, Chick and Ginny, His brothers and sisters and their spouses and children, Tom and Lisa Huckins, Zachariah, Cecilia, Magdalena, Dominique and Giana; Peter Huckins; Katie and Ken Prust, BJ, Kenny, Kolbe, Kyler, Sophia and Levi; Tim and Stephanie Huckins, Jacob, Spencer, and Lucy; Teresa and Tony Landry, Chloe, Anthony, Emily, Lizzy, Mitchell, Austin, Molly and Gracie; Pat and Stephany Huckins, Charlie, Johnny, Sarah, Mae, Jimmy and Christina Josephina (Born the day before his death); Rob and Andrea Huckins, Anna, Alli, Bobby and Ashley; Chris Huckins, Mitzy Huckins, JP Huckins and Anne Marie Huckins. His Grandmothers Mary Huckins and Betty Triol, his aunts and uncles, Judy and Chuck Paine, Marjorie and John Hamon, Barbara Triol, Susie Huckins and Gary Huckins. There is a lingering emptiness in this family that Joe filled.

Joe attended St. Joseph's Catholic School and Del Oro High School and was also home schooled. Joe was born at Auburn Faith and lived nearly his entire life in Auburn, until he started traveling.

He visited Rome, Ireland and Mexico with his parents. He traveled to and lived for extended periods in Venezuela and New Zealand. He traveled to Thailand and India, and more recently to Mexico where he learned to surf. Just last week he returned from a two-week bike ride that started in Phoenix and ended in El Paso.

Besides bike riding, Joe was an expert of many pursuits, including, sailing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snow skiing, snowboarding, wakeboarding and canoeing. While many of us struggled to learn something new, Joe not only picked it up instantly, he excelled at doing it. Many friends and family members will greatly miss living vicariously through Joe's many adventures.

Joe is the personification of all good things a man is capable of being; with just the right amount of mischief, playfulness and kindness included, which made him so loveable and well respected. Because of Joe there is a lot more love in this world.*

Viewing of the body will be on Wednesday, May 6, at 5 pm and Rosary will follow the viewing at 7 p.m.

Lassila Funeral Home
51 Grass Valley Highway
Auburn, CA 95603

Funeral will be Thursday, May 7 at 10:30 a.m.

St. Josephs Catholic Church
1162 Lincoln Way
Auburn, CA 95603

Reception to follow at St. Teresa's Parish Hall on Atwood Road.

In lieu of flowers please donate to:

Immaculate Conception Apostolic School
28000 Rawlings Lake Rd.
Colfax, Ca 95713

*First published in the Gold Country Media Newspapers on 5/3/2009.
Slideshow images courtesy of Tony Tohono and Burntown.
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