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FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.

ALL ABOUT JOE

Joe's Autobiography (School Paper 1997)
Joe's Biography
Awards and Achievements

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Joe wrote this autobiography when he was in eighth grade.

Chapter 1
Birth and Beginning

My family lived in St. Louis, Missouri for many generations.  Before I was born, my family moved to Kentucky.  I guess my Dad didn't like it there because by the time I was born, we were living in St. Louis again.  I was in St. Louis in St. Mary's hospital during the 1982 World Series and the Cardinals won that year. The doctors were sidetracked when I was born watching the game and stuff.  I think my Mom got mad at that because she told them to turn it off.  My mother is visually impaired (she is blind), but she wasn't when I was born.  She started going blind when I was about three but the always managed to take care of us.  She drove a red Honda Civic and she worked in the courts as a Spanish Interpreter.  Now my Mom works at home as a Spanish Interpreter for ATT Language Lines.  She speaks Spanish and her family is from Bolivia.  My dad worked at Venture.  It's like a K-mart in St. Louis.  He worked in the Merchandising Department.  When I was young I attended St. Dominic Savio Catholic Grade School for four years.

Chapter 2
Life in St. Louis

I attended St. Dominic Savio Catholic Grade School as I said in Chapter 1.  It was kind of rough in St. Louis but that was only for certain kids.  I pretty much stayed away from them.  The public schools around the area where I lived were pretty bad.  The kids there at the public schools were in High School.  I guess I was always intimidated by public schools or maybe just bigger schools.  I never thought I would ever have to go to one.  I thought it was for poor kids or something.  I guess I didn't know any better.
My family was always very religious and were strong Catholics.  We have always gone to church and kept the Sabbath Day holy.  I think my Mom was the one who wanted to send us to Catholic Schools.  I really don't think my Dad cared.

Chapter 3
My Dad's Job

My Dad was always good to us.  He really spoiled us, but that was good I guess.  My Dad worked at Venture as an accountant or something like that.  My Dad's cousin had a business opportunity for him.  They wanted to go in business for themselves.  My Dad went into business with them.
The business went bad after a while and my Dad ended up owing a lot to money so we didn't buy as much stuff for a while, and my Dad got a job at Venture again.
My Dad worked at Venture for a long time, as far as I can remember.  Venture was the only place we shopped usually.  Businesses started calling him from all over the country asking him to work for them, but he didn't want us to move away from our friends.

Chapter 4
High School

When we were living in St. Charles, me and my brothers attended St. Cletus Catholic School.  We liked it there but we really didn't show it.  I made some really good friends there that I miss a lot.  I keep in touch with them but not as much as I used to.
My brother graduated from grade school and went on to high school with my other brother.  I think he really liked it there, and I know I would have.  I was looking forward to high school because that's where all my friend were going to go.
I always went to the football and basketball games.  I started getting to know the coaches and the people that went to that high school.  So as you know it was very hard to move to Orlando when we were so settled there.

Chapter 5
The Big Move

When my Dad told us that he had a chance to move to Orlando, I guess I got excited and I wanted to move.  I like any kind of change I guess.  So I told my friends that I was moving and they didn't listen to me because they thought I was joking.
My Dad had to go on to Orlando for his interview with Disney.  He got the job and moved down there three months before us.  We went down there for a week to look at houses and to go to Disney during those three months.  I really liked Disney then, but now it's getting kind of old.  So later we made the move to Orlando.
The move was very hard on me but it got better when I got to visit my friends in St. Louis.  When I first came to this school, the kids were different and so was the environment, but I soon adjusted and met a lot of people.  I guess it's better now.  I just got back from visiting my friends over Winter break.  I'm going back this summer when I get my grades, so I hope I get a good grade in this class.

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BIOGRAPHY

Joseph Eckles' Biography
      Joseph Nicholas Eckles was born on October 19 of 1982. He was the youngest son
of Gene and Jan Eckles. Jan had often said she wanted to have all our children before
she turned 30, and she made it by one week. When Joe was born , Jason was 4 1/2
and Jeff was 1 1/2. We definitely had our hands full with these 3 very active boys. We
lived in south St. Louis in a small 2 bedroom house. For the first year and a half of
Joe's life he slept in the same bedroom with his brothers. Jason and Jeff in a bunkbed
and Joe in his crib. Whenever Joe would wake up at night , his brothers would talk to
him until he went back to sleep.
    Just before Joe turned 2 , we moved to a larger house a couple of miles away in an
area called Affton. The new house had 4 bedrooms, so each boy had their own room.
But when we moved in, Joe didn't like sleeping by himself , so for the first 6 months
in the new house Joe slept with his brother Jeff. It was in this house that Joe met his
first best friend, Brent Yanics. Brent lived two houses down from us and was the same
age as Joe. They became best friends right away. A lot of firsts happened with Brent,
learning how to ride a bike, going to kindergarten, starting to play sports. Joe made
many other friends when we lived in Affton including Jeffrey Harris and Brian Winkeler.
     A famous story about Joe during this time is when he was playing with his friends
and riding down our street face down on a skateboard when he went under a parked
car. In the process of going under or coming out he put a gash in the back of his head.
This was the first of many trips Joe and I made to the emergency room. From that day
forward  Joe had a scar on the back of his head where no hair grew.
     When Joe was going into the 4th grade we moved again to the St. Charles area in
St. Louis. It was tough for Joe to leave his friends in Affton but by this time Joe's
personality was emerging and he quickly made new friends in St. Charles. We still
have the video of Joe's 10th Birthday shortly after we moved into the new house. The
video shows Joe with his Affton friends and his new St. Charles friends together
celebrating his birthday. The significance of this event is that 9 years later and 2 months
before Joe died, some of the same boys from these two groups came down to Orlando
during the same week and visited with Joe. They had a fantastic time and I can only
believe that this was God's hand getting these boys together one last time before Joe
left this world.
     We stayed in St. Charles for about 3 1/2 years until Joe was in 7th grade. Joe
seemed to have a lot of best friends in St. Charles, Brian Wuelling, Greg Dauer, Jack
Conner, Kurt Hunter and really 5 or 6 others. They seemed to run in a pack, but Joe
also loved being with any of them one on one. One of the reasons these boys got so
close is that they were all in the same class and played all the sports together. Joe
emerged as the ring leader of the group. He was always calling someone to get
together somewhere. This was a trait of Joe's that he continued throughout his life.
Beside sports and hanging out, Joe's favorite activity with his friends was on the
holidays especially the 4th of July and Halloween. I think Joe loved these times because
of the activities involved. He loved to watch and shoot off fireworks and dress up on
Halloween and go trick or treating with his friends.
     The house in St. Charles had a basketball court on the side driveway and was lit
up at night. Joe, his brothers and I would go out there day and night to play ball. I would
always try to match up with Joe because he was the youngest and if he played with
one of his brothers he would always end up arguing about some pass or shot and
we'd never finish the game. Joe loved to argue. This was a trait he also carried with
him throughout his life. We always said Joe would make a great lawyer because he
loved to argue about anything and everything.
     Joe was never a very studious person. He never seemed to be able to sit long
enough to concentrate on something. During his 4th - 6th grade we had him tested
for ADD.  Some of Joe’s teachers mentioned that he might have ADD so we took him to the doctor. although when the pediatrician initially suggested that Joe might benefit from Ritalin, we were not convinced but decided to follow the doctor’s suggestion. He took it for several months but we learned that when he didn’t take it, there was no difference in his behavior. Testing of his IQ and other psychological test given to him by the Public School District revealed that his intelligence was significantly above average and his “misbehavior” in class was due to his boredom with the curriculum.
. But, during this time Joe had difficulties with some of his teachers. When Joe
was in 5th grade he had a young lady teacher fresh out of college. He seemed to
do well that year and Joe remarked that that’s they way he liked his teachers, young
and inexperienced.  
     One of the things about St. Louis that Joe and his brothers really loved was the
snow - unless they were shoveling the driveway. When it snowed in St. Louis it many
times meant that school was cancelled for the day. Joe loved it when it snowed. He
would put on all his snow garb and run out with his brothers and friends to make snow
angels, have a snowball fight, build a snowman or sled down a hill. When he finally
would come inside wet and freezing, it would only be for a minute and back out he'd go.
One of the things the boys missed most about moving away from St. Louis was snow.
      In March of 1996 when Joe was almost at the end of 7th grade we moved to 
Orlando. Prior to the move we talked with the boy's about how they would feel about
moving. They all agreed the move would be positive , but none of us realized how much
the boys would miss their friends from St. Louis. The first year in Orlando was very
hard on Joe. I remember going into his room one night after we had been in Orlando
about a year and he looked so sad. I asked him what he was thinking about and he
said he just missed his friends from St. Louis so much. But, Joe was building new
friendships in Orlando and soon he had another army of guys that he ran with.
     Joe's first best friend in Orlando was Justin Weber. Justin lived a couple houses
down from us and met Joe walking to the bus. Justin has an outgoing personality
and came up to Joe and said ' so you’re the new kid - come with me and I'll show you
the ropes'. That was the beginning of a friendship that will never end. Justin fit right in
between Joe and Jeff. Justin was one year older than Joe and one year younger than
Jeff. The three of them did everything together. When Joe got to high school, the three
of them played football together, wrestled together and played lacrosse together. They
also tended from time to time to get into mischief together. Joe and Jeff spent as much
time down at Justin's house as Justin spent at our house. We loved having the boys
around.
     Most of Joe's friends came from the sports he played. That was Joe's life , make it
through the school day so he could get to practice, then come home to call his friends
and make arrangements for the night. From the time Joe hit high school we always had
a parade of friends come to the house. Some we would see just once or twice , others
we would see all the time like Justin, Jason Lewis, Elthon Fritz, Chasse Green, Dominique
Crupi, Jason Retherford , Justin Porter and many others. These were all great kids who
loved being together and having fun.
     Even before Joe started high school he was involved in sports, but while he was in
high school it became his passion. He loved the competition of sports. Joe was the kind
of guy who would play hard, be very competitive on the field, but when the game was
over - win or lose - he left it behind and just wanted to get together with his friends. Joe
started with football. He progressed in his abilities each year he played. In his junior
and senior years he was a starting middle linebacker and in his senior year set the
school record for the most tackles. After football was wrestling. Joe told me once that
one of the reasons he liked wrestling was because it was just him and his opponent
on the mat. He couldn't look any further for success or failure but to himself. As Joe
got stronger, his wrestling success improved. He twice competed and placed at the
regional tournament. The sport that Joe had the most passion for was lacrosse. He
was introduced to the sport in 8th grade when his brother Jeff was playing in high
school. Joe immediately fell in love with the game. For four years Joe & Jeff walked
around the house with lacrosse sticks in their hands constantly practicing their hold
and cradling the ball. Joe followed his brother Jeff as a mid fielder and high scorer for
the team. At the end of Joe's senior year his lacrosse number 33 was retired.
     In Joe's sophomore year he started getting into weightlifting. He started lifting at
school, then we got him and his brothers a membership to the World's Gym by our
house. In his senior year we bought a professional weight set and put it in our garage.
Joe, his brothers and friends were in the garage all  the time lifting weights. Joe was
the leader. He knew the correct methods and procedures. He also knew the right
nutritional supplements to get the best results. In Joe's senior year he participated
on the school's weightlifting team. Joe tied for 1st place at regionals in his weight
class and placed in the state tournament.
     Joe's work life was a little varied. During his last two years in high school he worked
for me in the retail stores we operated. When we closed down the company Joe got a
job at Bally's Fitness Centers. It seemed like a logical job for Joe because he was a
weight lifter and he loved to talk to people. In a short time he rose to be a top salesman
and the assistant manager of a club. But Joe didn't like some of the sales tactics
employed by Bally's and left to take a job as a warehouseman at Ryder. He loved
working at Ryder. He liked the people there and they treated him with respect. Joe
began the job with Ryder during the summer of 2002. He worked full time. Joe initially
thought he could work full time and go to school at night. But in August when school
began, the hours were too much for Joe. So in late August he gave his notice at Ryder
and told them he'd stay until they found a replacement. Joe was still working at Ryder
at the time of his death on September 7th 2002.
     No story of Joe's life would be complete without Bonnie. Joe and Bonnie Freeman
met in their freshman year of high school (see the story written by Joe in his writings).
They hit it off right away. Joe and Bonnie both had very strong personalities, but they
seemed to hold each other in check. Bonnie was more focused while Joe was more
carefree. I don't think Joe would have gotten through high school (gradewise) without
Bonnie. She would say "Mr. Eckles, Joe and I are going upstairs to study" I loved to
hear that. No relationship is without it's issues however, Joe and Bonnies arguments
were legendary. Every once in a while they would fight, then they would break up, then
they would get back together again. This became such a routine that whenever Joe
would come to me and say Bonnie and he had broken up , I would chuckle to myself
and say wait until tomorrow. Sure enough they were back together again and heading
off to someplace. During one of these breakups when Bonnie and Joe were in their senior
year of high school I asked Joe if it was time to date somebody else - He told me he didn't
want to be with anybody else, he felt so comfortable with Bonnie. I think he went up to
his room right then and called her. It was Bonnie who gave CPR to Joe and tried to revive
him on the night he died. Even though they were young, I don't think any love could have
been stronger than two people could have felt at 19 years of age.
     I'm going to finish this biography talking about our family. Joe was blessed with having
grandparents who loved him. His MauMau and Paupau took Joe and his brothers all over
the country in their motorhome, his Ito and Ita lived with us and looked out for Joe's every
need and his grandma talked with him endlessly about things going on his life whenever
she would visit. Jan and I loved Joe as any parent would love their child. We went to every
football game, wrestling match, lacrosse game and school function. We talked with him
we laughed with him we cried with him. We had our challenging times as any parent and
teenager has, but through it all Joe knew we loved him and we knew Joe loved us. We
have always been and continue to be very proud of our Joe. The last few sentences will
be about Joe and his brothers. I don't think their could be three siblings closer than these
three guys. From the earliest age they were always together. There was only 4 1/2 years
between them. They would do anything for each other. They looked out for each other. They
played together, hung out together, challenged each other, argued with each other, helped
each other, laughed together and were brothers together. Joe will always be in their hearts
and mind as he will always be in ours. Joe died 6 weeks shy of his 20th birthday, Jason
was 24 and Jeff was 21.
We love you Joe - now and forever.   Dad.

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AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

-School record for number of tackles in one year for a linebacker

-MVP award for lacrosse

-Joe's jerseys for football and lacrosse are now retired at Cypress Creek High 

-State finalist in weight lifting