Joel E. Harwood
ELIZABETHTOWN – Joel E. Harwood, 45, of 258 Cutting Road, Elizabethtown, died Sunday, May 4, 2014, at his home.
He was born June 29, 1968, in Malone, the son of James and Catherine (Anderson) Harwood.
Joel was an avid outdoorsman with a passion for protecting the environment. He enjoyed skiing, hunting, hiking, biking, canoeing and any other outdoor activity he could find to do. He also loved sharing that passion and introduced his love for the outdoors to many of his family and friends. Joel was also very active in the local Boy Scouts of America. He was a member of the Coal Hill Hunting Club in Duane and had accomplished what very few have done by completing the 2009 Ironman competition in Lake Placid only two years after recovering from a major surgery.
He was instrumental in the Blueberry Hill trail system and the Leadville mountain bike race qualifier. Joel could be found much of the time at his beloved camp in Duane, where he loved to entertain friends and family who shared his love of the outdoors. He graduated from Franklin Academy in the Class of 1986 and from Paul Smith’s College in 1989.
He worked for Bob Sutherland surveying in Plattsburgh, Kubricky Construction, Kevin Hall Surveying and most recently New York State Department of Transportation as an engineer in charge.
He is survived by his wife Barbara (Kurtz) Harwood of Lewis; three children and a son-in-law: Clare Harwood and Hugh Harwood, both of Lewis, and Paige and George Saltamach of Cresco, Pennsylvania; his parents; one brother and sister-in-law, James and Catherine Harwood of La Crescenta, California; two sisters and brothers-in-law: Cana and Michael Tighe of Malone, and Paula and Chad Lawrence of Malone; his in-laws, Alfred and Annabelle Kurtz of Elizabethtown; a sister-in-law, Ann and husband Reggie Whitney of Keene; a brother-in-law, Peter Kurtz of Lake Placid; a grandson, Henry Saltamach; and 10 nieces and nephews.
No calling hours will be held. A memorial service will be conducted by the Rev. Fred Shaw at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 10 at the United Church of Christ in Elizabethtown.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Joel’s memory may be made to the Blueberry Hill trail system, P.O. Box 265, Elizabethtown, NY 12932
For online condolences, please visit W.M. Marvin’s Sons Inc. Funeral Home at www.wmmarvins.com.