Joseph J. Jablonski

I am in total disbelief. Joe was a Spartan of a man and I am honored to have known him.

I was so saddened to hear this weekend about Joe's passing. What a loss to his beloved, wonderful wife and family. I met him while studying music with his wife, Darlyn, at PSU. He and their youngest daughter accompanied us on a chamber choir trip to Prague, Salzburg and Majorca in 1997. He was a pleasure to be around and I know that he touched many people. You are missed, Joe. Glad I was able to at least say hello to you in passing during the last year.

My daughter learned of Joe's passing this morning when Darlyn called to discuss a rental arrangement we have later this year in NYC at the family's wonderful brownstone. Although we had never met Joe personally, except via e-mail, we feel as if we have lost a friend, and our hearts are heavy today. Our subsequent trips to NYC will be only more special to us because of Joe's kindness, and we hope to always stay in the brownstone he introduced us to.

-Lindsey Hansen and Susan Frizzell

I met Joe over 10 yrs ago at a writer's conference. We corresponded over the years to follow, sharing our writing and offering each other honest yet gentle critique of the writings we exchanged. Even though our communication centered around writing, Joe's tremendous love for his family was obvious. He could not help when explaining what he was trying to convey in a certain chapter/story/etc, credit his strong family relationships and experiences as the inspiration for his work. I was...

My heart is heavy upon learning the surprising news about Joe's death. After working as his short story editor for several years, Joe and I developed a good friendship. We enjoyed many spirited discussions about books, theatre, family, life... And more often than not, these discussions came back around to the craft of writing. That was one of the many things I admired about Joe – just how deeply committed he was to becoming the best writer possible. I quite enjoyed his writing, which was...

A wonderful, generous, intellectually curious and fun man who loved life and his family, and was unafraid to take chances. Joe was a force constantly moving forward and reinforcing that energy in everyone in his life, and I will miss his presence in this world. My deepest sympathies to his family and wife, Darlyn.

I am so sorry to hear about Joe. I remember Joe and Darlyn's wedding. I had never seen two people more in love. My prayers to you Darlyn and family. Joe was a class act.

My condolences for your loss, I was one of the 2nd mates on the President Garfield with Kapitein Jablonski from 1990 to 1995. He was a good teacher and captain.
Edward W Green

This is sudden and unwelcome news. I met Joe in NW Portland a little over a decade ago and belonged to a short-lived book discussion group he organized. I enjoyed his novel and gave it a positive review on Amazon, but had not seen him in a while. Appreciated his warmth, upbeat personality, and a certain personal elegance.