Joe died August 16, 2024 in Windham New Hampshire, USA. Joe was the husband of Deborah and father to Sarah and Joey. Joe was born in North Andover and as a young man he excelled in baseball, football, and wrestling. Joe attended the MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in earth and planetary science, majoring in meteorology.
After graduating from MIT, Joe began specializing in air pollution, in particular model development. key contributions included the Buoyant Line Plume Model, CALPUFF and CALMET as well as BPIP and BPIP Prime models. These models are widely used by researchers, environmental consultants, and regulatory agencies (including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) globally. He took great pride in teaching and mentorship.
Though his professional accomplishments brought him acclaim and travel around the world, he was the first to say he was the happiest at home in New England with his family, whom he was very proud of. He loved to hike, ski, scuba dive, and train for marathons and other races.
Joe was a kind and gentle person and he cared deeply about the poor and vulnerable, and about protecting the environment.
In 2014, not far from the finish line of the Chicago Marathon, Joe suffered a cardiac arrest that resulted in a significant brain injury. After difficult months in a minimally responsive state, Joe, spent the following decade defying long odds and courageously facing the many challenges and indignities of incomplete recovery. The fact his long-term memory, good humor, and resolve survived intact was a great comfort to his family.
Joe was a wonderful friend, colleague and boss to myself and I was fortunate to enjoy many outdoor adventures with him. Go in peace Joe, you will be sorely missed.
Jennifer Barclay
Some of these words are from Sarah Scire
