Joseph Christopher Boulder died peacefully in Mission Viejo, CA on January 23, 2015. He was 90-years-old. Joe was born Joseph Christopher Lizanec in Johnstown, PA on October 26, 1924 to John Lizanec and Mary Homa Lizanec. He was the 6th of 7 children.

When Joe was 11 his father, a coal miner from Ukraine, died of Black Lung Disease. His mother sent Joe and his older brother Nick to the Hershey Industrial School for Boys, an orphanage in Hershey, PA, as she was unable to financially support them. After a rough start, Joe enjoyed his time at Hershey, as he learned that being in the Glee Club meant he didn’t have to do as many farm chores. Joe graduated from Hershey in 1943 and attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA and Dickinson Law School.

After graduating from law school, Joe moved west in 1946 to practice law and settled in Colorado Springs, CO. There he met a young and pretty Colorado College grad from Montrose, CO, Betty Shubert. The couple hit it off and was married in the Springs in 1949. They spent their young married lives in Colorado Springs, Glenwood Springs, CO and Delta, CO. While in Colorado, Joe also played semi-pro baseball and enjoyed elk hunting and the relatively new sport of downhill skiing.

Joe and Betty moved to Cheyenne, WY where they had jobs working at the local air force base. That government service led to jobs with the Social Security Administration and Department of Health Education and Welfare. This resulted in transfers to Kansas City, MO, Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C.

Other than his family, Joe had a passion for gardening tomatoes, opera, classical music and cooking. His tomato plants would often grow taller than his 5’4″ frame during humid Maryland summers. He and Betty also raised Old English Sheepdogs.

After Betty’s death in 1989, Joe moved from his home in Ellicott City, MD west again, settling in Southern California. At age 76, he began a new life when he married Mary Rose Waken in Laguna Woods, CA. The two of them enjoyed their golden years traveling the world and trying their luck at various casinos. Joe was a generous man; his generosity was only surpassed by his quick and clever wit and humor. Joe, a republican convert, liked to talk politics with his democratic son-in-law Tim. During his life, Joe was a member of the Elks, Masons, National Association of Retired Federal Employees, American Legion and the Italian Club. Joe loved new ideas and acquiring innovative items once they hit the market, be it a color TV, microwave, computer, and even an Edsel.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, six siblings — Ann, Mike, Mary, Nick, Helen and Johnny — and wife Betty. he is survived by his wife, Mary Rose Waken-Boulder of Laguna Woods, CA, son, Joel Boulder of Littleton, CO, daughter, Linda Boulder of Durango, CO, grandson, Ross Kotlar of Durango, CO, granddaughter, Kate Boulder of California, nephews Steve and Curt Lezanic, Bernie and Raymond Balog, and Ed Kula, and nieces Jennifer Salatka, Rosalyn Marovich and Barbara Balog. A small service will be held in California on January 30, 2015. Burial will occur in Ellicott City, MD in March. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Joe’s name to Shriners Hospital for Children, Office of Development Fairfax Rd at Virginia St. Salt Lake City, UT 84103.