Joseph Ensign Lovejoy, Jr.

Joseph Ensign Lovejoy, Jr. - December 12, 1967 - May 17, 2023

It is with sorrow that we announce the passing of Joseph Ensign Lovejoy Jr. A lifelong learner, an esteemed educator, and an astute businessman, Joe's journey ended on May 17, 2023.

Raised in Wenham, Massachusetts, Joe was a graduate of Shore Country Day School, Tabor Academy, and St. Lawrence and Dartmouth Universities. Born with an insatiable curiosity and a keen intellect, Joe spent his life in the relentless pursuit of understanding.

Believing that the purpose of education was not merely to instill facts but to ignite the spark of curiosity in young minds, he became a highly respected educator at the Bancroft School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the Charles Wright Academy in Tacoma, Washington. Not only masterful of American and World History, Joe coached football, lacrosse, and soccer. His passion for understanding the needs of his students and his empathetic approach to adolescence made him a favorite teacher. It did not hurt that he had a robust sense of humor.

Joe's passion for understanding transcended the classroom and became a vehicle for how he engaged in and with his world. Sailing roundtrip from Victoria, British Columbia to Hawaii, hiking the Himalayas of Nepal, sea-kayaking off the coast of Maine, fly- fishing throughout the Rockies and Cascades, and descending the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon numerous times, are how Joe chose to embody a full, and action packed, life of learning.

In 2008, Joe moved from teaching into the business world when he became Chairman of his family's privately held business, Ensign-Bickford Industries (EBI), a global science and technology company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1836, EBI is one of the oldest companies in America and has remained privately held by the family throughout its history. During his 14-year tenure as Chairman, Joe led a period of transformational change in the scale, complexity, and global reach of the business.

Joe will be remembered as a modest, principled, and authentic leader who cared deeply about EBI's people and the greater good that EBI could provide society. He was passionate about developing EBI's core values. Building on his love for education, friends and colleagues noted that his superpower was understanding the human emotion. When Joe spoke, people listened, and they knew that he cared. Always understated, Joe often said that his most important goal was to leave the business stronger for future generations. Joe's legacy and impact on the business will endure.

Ours is a shared loss with all who had the privilege to learn from Joe either in his class or by the example of his character presented in the business world. His profound impact on the lives of countless individuals will not be forgotten.

He is survived by his mother, Susan L. Watson of Bloomfield, CT and her husband Richard Watson; his sister, Clare Lovejoy Byrne of Annisquam, MA, and her husband Michael Byrne along with their three children, Michaela Soper of Framingham, MA, Olivia Kaneb of Boston, MA and Jackson Byrne of Annisquam, MA. His father, Joseph Ensign Lovejoy, predeceased him in 2008 and Joe is survived by his father's wife, Joan D. Lovejoy of Wenham, MA and their daughter Deven Lovejoy of Orlando FL.