MADISON – Joseph Patrick Quinlan died unexpectedly at his home at the Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center, in Madison, Dec. 13, 2023. He was 71.

Joe was the son of Marion Quinlan Boisseau and Harold F. Quinlan I, and stepson of Alexis V. Boisseau, all now deceased. Joe was the brother of Peter ,John, William, Mary, Cassie, and Harold II, Quinlan. Peter and Mary are deceased.
Joe was a lifelong learner who had the misfortune of coordination challenges and intermittent epilepsy, in varying degrees of severity, since early adulthood.
Despite difficulty, Joe was able to pursue self-improvement interests at his pace, through dogged determination, courage, and tenacity. Fortunately, Joe had the continued support of family through his life. Particularly, his sister Cassie who advocated for Joe and got him involved in a variety of programs and services over the years, in Central Maine. From adult education basic academics to woodworking, Joe enjoyed education. The list of involvement includes but is not limited to; Maplecrest and Somerset rehabilitation and living centers, Waterville Winslow Recycling, Bernardini Group Home MCIR, the Dill Center, Marti Stevens Education Center, Quarry Road, Sebasticook Farms, Special Olympics, Catholic Churches in Skowhegan and Bingham, and the Bingham Union Library.

In his early life Joe was a student at Westport Central School, and an enthusiastic/decorated camper at Camp Dudley. Joe, as part of a writing class, wrote a paper titled “I love the Trail”. He did. Some of his favorites were the DeBe trail (Skowhegan), Pete’s Pinnacle (Westport)) Mount Odell (Fredericton). He accomplished two Peaks in the Adirondacks mountains, Baxter, and Cascade, in later years. Grateful for local coaching, he rode his adult tricycle from downtown Skowhegan to Osoolo Park in Norridgewok and back. He enjoyed tenting and camping, whether on the Maine coast or the back woods of New Brunswick. In recent years the challenge of walking, balance, proper focus provided ample opportunity for Joe to “use it or loose it “.
Joe’s competitive spirit and valued social engagement were fostered by activities such as WII Bowling, cards, checkers, word jumble, dot to dot, tri-ominos. And, as a fan of professional sports, particularly football, particularly the New England Patriots, Joe understood well the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat “! He had an extraordinary ability to pick NFL winners and losers with his brother Bill weekly!

COVID changed much in Joe’s life, as it affected many, particularly in care facilities. Visits to Joe were limited with lock downs at Maplecrest and at the border. In earlier years, he had travelled to Sudbury, Massachusetts, Westport N.Y., Montreal, Toronto and Fredericton to be with family and friends during holidays. However, during COVID, a silver lining emerged. Joe, the lifelong learner, led by his sister Cassie embraced Zoom technologies and started a weekly reading program where they would invite others to join them reading books together across the miles. It was a great success, reading skills were enhanced, family contact regularized, and books completed! In short a big win! Distance learning.

Through his life, Joe Quinlan was assisted in his life by literally hundreds of people. From an understanding landlord at one of Joe’s three apartments , to volunteers at Special Olympics, to friends at bingo, at the library, church volunteers, to home care supporters, to front line workers and management at Somerset and Maplecrest, specialists, doctors and nurses at Redington Fairview, the list goes on. Joe learned from everyone, but he also taught us all by example: he tried to listen, communicate positively and work well with everyone. He brought dogged determination, courage, tenacity.

Thank you to all who have helped Joe for 71 years. If he could, he would thank you all, understanding you deserved it.

Joe had a saying: “Life is for the living “.

Enjoy Christmas and the holidays this year

in memory of Joe.

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