Francis Joseph Garlitz - Joe Garlitz, 81, of Elgin, died peacefully on Monday, March 31, 2025, in his home. A Rosary will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church, Elgin, on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 10:00am and the Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30am.

Joe was born on September 1, 1943, in Fruita, Colorado to Walter & Gladys Garlitz. He became the second child of seven siblings.

After high school he attended the University of Colorado, Boulder where he graduated with a BS in Physics. Halfway through his university studies he took a two-year break and travelled to India to serve in the Peace Corps. During his Peace Corps training at Oregon State, he met his future wife, Irene Furmanowicz. Joe & Irene kept in contact during the time he was in India, and when he returned, they married and eventually had four children.

After graduation Joe got a job in Denver working for Martin Marietta where he used his skills to work on various engineering projects including the 1973 NASA SkyLab.

Ever the adventurer, Joe convinced his wife to buy a plot of land on Cricket Flat outside Elgin, OR. It was there, Joe built his "off the grid" dream home, lovingly known as "The A-Frame". Joe used his engineering skills not only to design the home, but to also design the build method & pulley systems so 2 people (Joe & Irene) could build the entire home on their own.

Joe held several jobs in Union County, some of the most notable were County Commissioner, Mayor & Elgin City Administrator. But anyone who knew Joe, knew he was an "idea man" and put his engineering ingenuity to work solving problems all over the county, both in the formal positions and voluntary community committees.

Deeply spiritual, Joe was called to a higher vocation within the Catholic Church. In 1987, he was ordained into the diaconate and became the first married permanent Catholic Deacon of Union County. Joe presided over many marriages, baptisms and burials in his 30 years as a Deacon.

Joe's greatest hobby and real passion was Astronomy. Joe was extremely active in the amateur astronomy community. He built an observatory in his backyard using an 8" Newtonian telescope he built in high school and computerized it to locate and track celestial objects. Using his "high school" telescope, Joe assisted both NASA and PhD students across the world with their research. He was published in Sky & Telescope Magazine on several occasions for his images of "Standstill Comet"; detecting a possible ringlike structure around an extrasolar planet; and discovering an uncatalogued eclipsing binary.

Joe was beloved by all; he was an extremely gifted man who used his talents to serve the community and build a better society.

Joe is survived by his wife Irene Garlitz, their four children & spouses: Paul & Romi Garlitz, John & Shannon Garlitz, Serena & Shad McKnight and Alena & Jason Murges and his seven grandchildren: Isabella Garlitz, Audrey Garlitz, Evan Garlitz, Ian Garlitz, Sophia McKnight, Michael McKnight and Spencer Murges.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.