Joseph Paul Hasselbalch

Joseph Paul Hasselbalch passed away January 8, 2026. He was born on July 11, 1950 in Omaha, Nebraska to Norman P. Hasselbalch and Patricia A. (McManus) Hasselbalch. Joe was a 1968 graduate of Rummel High School in Omaha. He was an excellent swimmer as was his sister Ann. They were both on the high school swim team. Joe completed his basic course in scuba diving and was certified at the age of 17. Starting at a young age, Joe played many instruments – drums, violin and guitar. He loved his music and would spend time relaxing and playing his guitar along with some of his favorite songs. Joe would talk about the many weekends his family would spend at the cabin with his cousins, aunts and uncles. There was always lots of swimming and good food. Joe had quite a sense of humor and so did his cousin Phil. When you saw them together you could usually tell if they were up to mischief just by the look on their faces. Joe really enjoyed the outdoors. He spent a lot of summers playing softball and volleyball. This was usually followed up by a cooling off period at a local pub. Joe especially loved the river – air boating in the summer, hunting deer, geese and ducks in the winter. Yearly goose hunting trips were taken to the small town of Julesburg, Colorado with Phil and others. Joe also enjoyed fishing and golfing. He participated in many yearly golf tournaments. Joe retired in 2006 from D.R. Anderson Construction after many years working as a Millwright where he repaired and installed heavy equipment at various plants in the area – Kellogg’s, Lucent, Frito Lay, the Fort Calhoun Power Plant and many more. Joe also enjoyed gardening. As soon as the soil could be worked, Joe would be out getting the garden ready for planting. We always had plenty of tomatoes and sweet corn to share with family and friends. Jennifer and the kids (Emily, Riley, Easton and Mason) would come out to help cook and freeze corn. It seemed like it was always the hottest day of the year, but it was worth it! The kids loved to spend the afternoon riding the 4-wheeler and driving the golf cart around. Joe taught Easton and Mason how to run the log splitter and stack wood. He worked alongside them while he let them work on the 4-wheeler and golf cart. There was always something to be found to work on. Some of the nicest memories Jennifer and the kids have are just sitting around the patio relaxing and talking, and enjoying some good food prepared by PaPa Joe on the grill. If you needed help with a project or a repair of any kind, Joe would always be willing to help you if he could. Joe had a great sense of humor and always a smile for you – I’m missing his smile every day. Joe is survived by his wife, Kandy; sisters: Ann (Dale) Theissen of Elkhorn and Mimi Hasselbalch of Minnesota; children: J.P. of Tennessee, Danielle (Chris) Brown of Tennessee, and Jennifer (Danny) Moore of Omaha; many grandchildren, nieces, nephews and great nieces and great nephews. Memorials are Suggested to The Family for later designation

Joseph Paul Hasselbalch

July 11, 1950 - January 8, 2026