I met Joe paddling on the Gauley two years ago.  He seemed full of life and we had a good talk waiting under the shelter at the take-out for the lower gauley.  He had invited me over to W. Va to work when i complete my residency.  He seemed genuinely concerned about the inhabitants of west virginia and their health care concerns.  He will be missed, but I'm glad to have met him and paddled with him once. My thoughts and prayers go with his paddler buddies and those friends and families whose void cannot be filled at this point by anything other than sorrow and the realization that he did what he loved, and unfortunately had to leave to a better place.