Joseph Edward Vargo

I´m glad you lived when you did. Miss you madly.

As summer vacation is winding down and this day being Mr. Vargo's memorial I will share the following: Remembering the scrubbing of the pool liner spread out on the driveway in the backyard in anxious anticipation of a summer of swimming; dipping feet full of grass clippings into the basin of water before scaling the ladder to top of the pool deck (which Mr. Vargo built); Mr. Vargo not content to be a casual observer was an active part of pool fun! Him cranking the filter and skimming the pool, the way he would squirt water with his fist, all the kids spending HOURS in the pool swimming, , making "whirl pools" and waves, endless chants of "Marco!" "Polo!", not coming out till our lips were blue and our eyes blood shot from marinating in chlorine all day. There on the patio would be Mr. Vargo sitting in that mid-century modern chair soaking wet, sunning himself, and surveying his "kingdom." GREAT MEMORIES!

We have lost so many of our Guardian Angels grade school friends but you were always one of the most popular caring ones. We enjoyed our visits in later years & especially our time at Nemo's. Think of you often.

Well. 2 years have gone by some we lost you on Earth, and never, not one day where Joe didnt appear to me in one way or another. I am grateful and humbled by knowing you. Thank you for giving me life.

Words cannot express the man I knew as Joe Vargo. He was a great man all around , great conversationalist, wonderful friend, always true, and I feel honored to have worked alongside him on many projects over the years, the camaraderie and laughter seemed to be a must on the site which brought about the best in everyone. He was a great mentor to me, everything i've done in the trades since we've met I had tried to look through his eyes and have never been steered wrong. I already miss him so.

The celebration of life memorial for Chris and Joe Vargo will be held on Saturday Nov. 4th from 1-4 at Sindbads restaurant in Detroit.
100 Saint Clair St
Detroit, MI 48214
United States

Space is a little limited so please contact MIke, Amy, or Jennifer to RSVP.

Peace to all

Mr. Vargo, as I will always know him to be, occupied a pretty important place in my childhood. The Vargo home was where I escaped to on a nearly daily basis being "besties" with Amy. I was always welcome in their home and Mr. Vargo was a very present father figure to me. I remember his ready laugh, almost a "giggle", the rousing choruses of "There's a Hole in the Bottom of the Sea," sung at the dining room table, the sketch he drew of me that hung on my father's office wall for years, summers spent in the pool swimming till red eyed and purple lipped. Oh -and the enviable Brownstone dollhouse he built for Amy and Jennifer, a place where us girls spent hours playing our doll house games.Going the Turtle Soup inn introduced me to that dish (tasted a little like chicken!) where as trips to the original Buddy's Pizza, Shield's Pizza, and Sinbad's on the Detroit River offered more familiar fare. These are just a few of the "snapshots" in a full album of memories. May he rest in Peace!

We enjoyed our visits on the phone & Nemo's. He was always so up beat. He was at our Guardian Angels reunion is 2012 (60th grade school reunion). He was always a very special person in our class & a great football player. GA were city champs in 1951 it was held at the old Tiger Stadium. I was a cheerleader & it was a very special event. Joe never complained about his health but knew he was having many issues. He will be missed but Judy & Chris will be happy to be with him. He was as proud to live in Detroit as we are but we are eastsiders.

We will miss everything about Joe - his passion for justice, his delight in introducing friends to Detroit's inside stories and signature eating places, his expressed love of his children, the way he cared about his neighbors and community, his piercing honesty, his unlimited generosity, his sweet quirkiness and so much more. You will always be missed.

Tom and Joyce Heffernan

I love you Daddy.