09/21/2014
Joseph Jon Schwanebeck 06/28/1984 – 09/21/2014.
Joe was born and raised in Knoxville, Iowa, the youngest of Curt and Karen’s three children. At a young age, he developed a love for movies and video games as a result of spending time in the family movie theater and video store.
Joe was a talented musician and had a passion for performing. He was active in choir, band, and theater and graduated from Knoxville High School in 2002. He was also an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church.
At Central College, he obtained a BA in Music specializing in trumpet and steel drums. It was here he met and charmed Allison, his wife of 8 years. Joe was very active in the theater department and campus admissions, known for telling pirate jokes in a philosophy class, and studied abroad in the Netherlands.
Over the past seven years, Joe worked at the Science Center of Iowa. He had many different roles, the most recent as the Director of Education, but is probably best recognized as “Joe the Science Guy” to children, teachers, families, and communities across the state where he took the fun of science and learning on the road.
Joe was an amazing husband, son, grandson, brother, uncle, and friend. He loved to spend time making friends and family laugh and often put the needs of others before his own. Having fought a courageous and humorous battle against “Marvin the Melanoma”, his wit, humor, and kind and generous heart will be greatly missed.
Proceeded by: Grandfathers Carl Schwanebeck and John Brouillard, Uncles Kevin Daugherty, Gary, and Jim Brouillard. Grandparents-in-law Robert & Inez Miller, and Lowell & Lorean Reish.
Survived by: his wife Allison Schwanebeck and their cat Vespa; parents Curt & Karen Schwanebeck; brother Jeremy Schwanebeck, his wife Misha, their children Kerigan and Clay; sister Jennifer Klootwyk, her husband Jason, their children Jacob, Jared Justin, and Jaden; grandmothers Ruth Schwanebeck and Adeline Brouillard; and in-laws Mickey and Cheryl Miller and brother-in-law Joel Miller. Joe is also survived by a whole host of cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, and honorary brothers and sisters.