Dear Joe
I may be prejudice BUT . . . you could not have a better candidate for Joe of the Year than my husband, Bob Orf. Bob has worked tirelessly for the community of St. Joseph, and represents the best of our town. The day that the recent ice storm hit St. Joe, Bob was taking a vacation day. When the power outage turned into more than the expected brief inconvenience, Bob reported for work, and provided much needed information to his listeners for an 11 hour stint. Since the other local radio stations had been knocked off the air, he continued to work long hours into the night during the next week keeping St. Joe informed. I’m very proud of the humility with which Bob serves his community, even though it often means that he has to leave his family during any crisis (severe weather, power outages, tornado warnings, floods, etc.).
His daughters, Kristin & Erica, and I have gotten used to scheduling our holiday celebrations around his work schedule. Our holiday meals have often been interrupted by Bob making a quick delivery of a turkey dinner to one of his employees who had agreed to work the board during that time. However, Bob did not put his job before his family when it came to making sure that he was there to support his kids during their high school and AAU athletic competitions. Nothing brings him more pleasure than spending time with his family, whether it’s playing pool with his sons-in-law or enjoying the antics of his grandson, Beckett.
Bob loves his affiliation with MWSU and broadcasting their sports events is the favorite part of his job. He is often called upon to serve as Master of Ceremonies for Western and other community groups, and he gladly gives of his time and talents. We made a deal that I wouldn’t complain about his absence so long as he made sure that his introduction included a mention of his “lovely” wife!
All of us have enjoyed the notes, cards and recent expressions of appreciation to Bob for his service after the ice storm. While Bob is embarrassed by the attention, the recognition brings a smile to his face.
Sincerely,
Kathy Orf
Dear Joe,
I don’t normally write in to papers or anything like this, but I just had to let you know how much my wife and I appreciate your publication. When I first picked it up, I was afraid it was just a continuation of The Mule paper that came before it. Not to put it down, I’m sure it had its own fans, it just wasn’t for us.
Your paper always seems to be so positive about our community. Even the edgier pieces are done with a sense of humor so they don’t seem so heavy handed. I usually enjoy it cover to cover, but my favorite part is always your Dear Joe letters. Whichever of us grabs it first, always reads them out loud to the other. They always bring a chuckle. I know this isn’t exactly the humorous stuff you usually print; we just wanted you to know that a lot of us “Regular Joes” look forward to every issue. Keep up the good work.
Regular Mike and Regular Sandy.
Dear Regular M & S,
Thanks for your kind words. Believe it or not, some have suggested that we make up our Dear Joe letters. Can you believe it? Fortunately, we are not bound by trivial restraints like “journalistic integrity.” That makes our job so much easier.
Joe