Joseph Asselin

Joseph J. Asselin, 89. He thought of himself as “just an ordinary Joe”. But to the family who cherished him, he was an extraordinary man. Joe was born in Detroit on July 14, 1921. God called him home on Feb. 25, 2011. Joe bravely served his country in the U.S.M.C. during WWII in the Solomon’s Campaign. A decorated Marine, he was an RO/gunner in the American occupation of Funafuti Atoll that marked the beginning of the great U.S. advance in the central Pacific. The Asselin Family arrived in Arizona in 1960. Joe was a member of IBEW Local #640 for 21 years, and retired to Sun City West. He and his wife, Florence, were married for 61-years at the time of her passing in 2008. They are survived by their six children, Joseph C., Eleanor (David) Jenkins, Patricia Haskell, Linda (Ronald) Jacobson, Susan Erickson, and Paul (Starr) Asselin. They are blessed with 16 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Joe leaves behind his sisters Isabel (Robert) Novak and Marian Gust, his sister-in-law Carol Bollin, and many loving nieces and nephews. Visitation from 5-7 with rosary at 7:00 p.m., Wed. Mar. 2 at Menke Funeral & Cremation Center 12420 N. 103rd Ave., Sun City, AZ 85351. Funeral Mass 10 A.M. Thurs. Mar. 3 at St. Thomas More, 6180 W. Utopia, Glendale, AZ 85308. Interment at Holy Cross Cemetery with military honor guard.