Joel Kirschbaum

Joel Ruben Kirschbaum, 90, of Peoria, AZ, passed away on 8/8/25, beside his loving wife. He was born 02/03/1935 in Minneapolis, MN, the son of Jack Kirschbaum and Pauline Leiderman Kirschbaum. He attended the University of Minnesota Law School and graduated with Honors; Summa Cum Laude. He also taught Business Law at the University of Phoenix, which he loved. He worked as a partner in several law firms, beginning in Minnesota then came to Arizona and continued his career in law and was also a Judge Pro Tem. Joel joined the Army in 1954 and was stationed at Ft. Huachuca as a Radio Operator and was an instructor of Morse Code. Joel married Judy Yates in 1986 in Scottsdale and was happily married for 40 years. The two were the glue of the very large, blended family, which he loved dearly; including children, step-children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces and nephews. As we sit here writing this, we get call after call from friends and family sharing heart warming and funny stories about this great man. Joel especially loved being on his Ham Radio and being with his family and his dogs. He was a dog lover and wanted to rescue all the older dogs to give them a great life. He was a member of Mensa, on The Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Arizona, B'nai B'rith/AZA, and a Shriner and 32nd Degree Mason. Joel brought laughter to all with his deep belly laugh while slapping the table after telling a joke; friends would call to tell us they knew he was in the theatre because they heard his loud, distinctive laugh. He loved telling jokes and playing chess. He attended every event that the kids and grandkids had, including sports, theatre, cheer, graduations and concerts, cheering everyone on, including our friends. And even as adults, we still went to him for advice and we all wanted to make him proud. Remaining to treasure Joel's memory are his wife Judy and his previous wife Elaine, children, Jay/Patti, Corey/Katherine, Cheri, Dean/Lisa, Jordana and stepson Don/Shari; 10 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren and his sister Andrea and brother-in-law Fred. Memorial donations in Joel's memory may be directed to the Arizona Humane Society