Joseph Raymond Tembrock
March 15, 1940 – July 21, 2024
Joseph R. Tembrock, age 84, passed away peacefully at home on July 21, 2024, surrounded by twelve of his family members. He was a devoted husband to Judy for 59 years, a dedicated father to their four children, and an amazing Grampa Joe to 10 grandchildren.
Born in Fargo, North Dakota, Joe was the son of Raymond Henry Tembrock and Margaret (Krier) Tembrock. He was raised in Ogema, Minnesota, a small town of 200 people on the White Earth Reservation. After graduating from Waubun High School, Joe attended St. John’s University, where he met his future wife Judy Brandl. He was part of the Army ROTC, which led to being stationed in Alaska, where he lived in a tent for two winters. Joe served as a Lieutenant in the transportation company. He experienced the 9.2 Anchorage earthquake in 1964 while in church on Good Friday.
Following his military service, Joe married Judy. He then earned an MBA at the University of Chicago and began a 37-year career at Hewlett-Packard/Agilent. Joe and Judy raised their four children in Cupertino, CA. Joe was an involved and supportive father and husband. He coached soccer teams, encouraged participation in dance and gymnastics, attended his children’s events, and shared a special bond with his son Joey through duck hunting trips. Joe was a strong supporter of Judy’s photography business. He was also known for his commitment to biking to work for over 30 years and his frugal lunch habits. Joe believed in a hard work ethic and taught his kids to be good workers. A favorite saying of his was, “Work is fun, and fun is work.”
Faith was a cornerstone of Joe’s life. As a lifelong Catholic, he was an active member of his church community. Throughout Joe’s life, he was in several spiritual discussion groups, including “The Group” that started in the 1970s, as well as two Zoom discussion groups he participated in during his final years. Joe co-founded West Valley Community Services and Sacred Heart Community Service. He was actively involved with St. Joseph of Cupertino Outreach, where he brought cookies and played bingo with residents at the Veterans’ Hospital every month for over thirty years. He had his children put on dance and gymnastics shows, and they spent time playing bingo with the residents. Joe also volunteered with United Way, Catholic Charities, Sam Jones Homeless Shelter and various other organizations which helped those in need.
Upon retiring, Joe and Judy moved to Sonoma County, where Joe’s love for the land continued to flourish. From his apricot trees in Hollister, to the vineyard he planted in Santa Rosa, Joe found great joy in working the land. He learned how to make wine from the grapes in his vineyard. Joe had a love of the outdoors. He enjoyed fishing, backpacking, camping, cross-country skiing, and hiking. He was particularly proud of hiking Half Dome in Yosemite five times across different decades, including his final climb at age 74.
Joe loved playing card games, especially Pedro and Skat, playing croquet, listening to 1950s music, dancing the polka, and traveling across most of the United States and many other countries. In particular, he loved the yearly trip to Hawaii with kids and grandkids.
Joe was an eternal optimist. Even at the end of his life when he was dealing with multiple maladies, including the rare blood mutation Vexas, he would say, “It’s a good day.” In his final years he enjoyed reminiscing about his life while working on his memoir with his daughter Amy and his grandson Josiah. His mantra was, “All is well. All will be well.”
In Kauai, in Joe’s favorite church, there is a banner with an Erma Bombeck quote that reads: “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, I used everything You gave me.” As a dear friend said, “Joe squeezed every bit of juice from life.”
Joe will be deeply missed by his wife Judith Brandl Tembrock; his brothers Bill (Kathleen) of Hotchkiss, CO, Jim (Sheila) of St. Cloud, MN, Paul (Susan) of Sartell, MN, his sister Marilyn Thelen (Robert) of The Woodlands, TX; his many sisters and brothers-in-law; his daughters Rebecca Lorenz (Dave) of Veneta, OR; Mary Roller (Frank) of Cupertino, CA; Amy Edmondson (Mike) of Boise, ID; his son Joey Tembrock (Belinda) of Rohnert Park, CA, and his ten grandchildren: Josiah Lorenz; Ryan (Lauren), Will (Terah), Nate, and Tyler Roller; Rachel, Emily, and Jennay Edmondson; Kate Lynn (fiancé John) and Anna Tembrock; and many nieces and nephews. Joe is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Margaret Tembrock.
A Funeral Mass and Celebration of Life will be held at Resurrection Catholic Church, 303 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, on Friday, August 23rd, at noon. To honor Joe’s passion for helping those in need, donations may be made in his name to Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa or Sacred Heart Community Service of San Jose.
