Joseph Lawrence Katz of Gardiner, New York, known to all as Joe, died January 1 at the age of 89. He will be missed forever by his wife, Pattie Eakin; his children Sandor, Elizabeth, and Jonathan and their partners Daniel, Steve, and Amy; his grandchildren Sadie, Cobe, and Aksel; his nephews Seth and David Hollander; and his many devoted friends.
Joe was born and raised in Flushing, NY. When he was a young child, his parents Isidore Katz and Elsie Urist bought a weekend home in Gardiner, NY, which he came to regard as his primary home, and where he eventually lived full time next door to his sister Susan. He graduated from Bayside High School in 1951 and Cornell University in 1955, and served in the Army from 1955-1957. He married Rita Ellix in 1957, and they had four children: Evan, who died in infancy; Sandy; Lizzi; and Jon. His marriage to Rita ended in 1977, though they remained close until her death in 1987.
Joe married Pattie Eakin in 1996, and lived happily with her for the rest of his life. They shared many passionate interests, among them the love of animals, good food, good friends, and travel. They took loving care of each other, and the many dogs and cats they rescued over the years.
Joe truly marched to the beat of his own drum and lived by his convictions. He was a successful entrepreneur, founding The Studio for Knit Development (which later became The Knit Resource Center) in the late 70’s and running it until he sold it in 2007. He cared deeply for his community, and in 2005 he was elected to the Gardiner Town Board, then served as Town Supervisor from 2007-2011, and later on the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals. Joe was a long standing member of the New Paltz Tennis Club, and was always up for going fishing. He loved to problem solve and was so satisfied when he came up with his own solution to a home project or a recipe. Above all, Joe loved his family and always encouraged his children to see the world, follow their interests, and to stand up for what they believed in.
After he sold his knitwear business and stopped commuting to New York City, Joe expanded his always-impressive garden, and along with Pattie opened The Bruynswick Farm Stand. He had such a green thumb and took great pride in his success cultivating plants and vegetables, and loved to share his abundant garden bounty. He grew (truly) the best tomatoes! In later years, after they closed the farm stand, he still grew a large garden and shared excess vegetables with local food pantries.
Joe was a rock in many peoples’ lives. He maintained quite a few lifelong friendships, and never stopped developing new ones. He and Pattie loved to entertain, and hosted frequent parties and dinners. Joe was always quick to extend an invitation to a friend of a friend. He enthusiastically welcomed his kids’ friends, and is remembered warmly by all.
No funeral will be held. Instead, we will be organizing a celebration of Joe’s life in the spring, details to be announced. Donations in Joe’s memory may be made to the Hudson Valley Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (hudsonvalleyspca.com/donations ) .