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Dr. Joseph “Joe” Leahy passed away suddenly in his home in the early morning of Oct.15, 2017, in Madison, Ala., at the age of 57.
Joe was born Oct. 17, 1959, in Clinton, Iowa, to Philip Wayne and Jacqueline Irene Brown Leahy. He is survived by his parents; wife, Virginia; children, Keith and Stephen; siblings, Paul (Lisa) Leahy and Lisa (Mark) Scherer. He was preceded in death by his nephew and godson, Benjamin Leahy Scherer, and his father-in-law, Meletus E Warnecke. He loved his many nieces and nephews.
Joe married Virginia “Ginny” Warnecke on June 23, 1982, and they were blessed with two children, Keith and Stephen. His wife, a native of Indian Lake area, remembers him for his devotion to his family, his faith, and his dedication to service. His sons remember him most for his generosity with his time, whether it was coaching track or soccer, teaching critical thinking through science fairs and other academic endeavors, or volunteering his time at Saint John’s and Saint John Paul II Catholic High School in any way possible.
He graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1982 and a master’s degree in civil engineering in 1984. He continued his education at the University of Maryland where he earned a Ph.D. in microbiology in 1993. After moving to Madison, Ala., Joe began working for the University of Alabama in Huntsville as a professor of microbiology.
Joe had many interests and was a lifelong learner and teacher. As his educational background would suggest, he had a great appreciation for nature and regularly took the family to national parks during summer vacations. He used these trips to become a skilled photographer as well. He was also greatly interested in his family’s history, had a fascination with genealogy, and was fond of flying the flags of his ancestors, his sports teams and a few goofy ones just for laughs. Joe was an avid reader and was always a formidable opponent in trivia games and loved just simply to hang out with family and friends.
Father Bryan Lowe presided over the funeral Mass at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Madison, Ala.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be given in his name to St. John Paul II Catholic High School or St. John the Baptist Catholic Church or School. The family would like to thank all the wonderful people who prayed for Joe’s return to health several years ago. Joe was proud to tell anyone who asked that his last seven years were the result of your prayers.