Joel Harris Sicker

1947 - 2021

Joel Harris Sicker, born July 13th, 1947 passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on August 24th, 2021. Joel was born in Brooklyn, New York to Morris and Selma. He was a loving big brother to Craig, born 1954. He loved the Brooklyn Dodgers and going to Coney Island. He attended Erasmus Hall High School on Flatbush Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant and graduated in 1965. He moved to Chicago in the late '60s where he worked as an orderly at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. From there, he began his apprenticeship as an optician which he worked as until retiring in 2013. During that time, beginning in the early '70s Joel attended Triton College's theater program. He went on to perform in over 30 plays, in many of which he had starring roles. In 1976, at an audition he met Karen, who he would later marry. The couple moved to San Francisco shortly after, but in 1979, Joel and Karen moved back to Illinois to start their family. They welcomed their daughter, Erin, into their lives in 1981 and their son, Colin, in 1985. The family of four lived in and around the Chicago metro area with a brief stint in Arizona during the '80s and '90s. Joel and Karen divorced in 1996 but remained in each other's lives as loving parents to their children. He would later meet Angelyte in 2003 at the Thunderbird Single's Dance and were married in 2004. He lived with her in Willowbrook until her departure in 2013. From there, he and his son Colin lived together until Joel's passing. In 2014, he and his daughter, Erin, took his passion for vinyl records and their dream of starting a business and opened Purple Dog Records in Naperville. As the business grew, his son Colin would come on to become store manager, and later Joel would provide his granddaughter, Alayna, with her first job. He thought of the store as an extension of his home and treated everyone as a friend. Joel looked forward to coming into work every day. Although he never lived in Naperville, he always considered it home. He loved Sunday breakfasts with his family, which often included his longtime friend, Martin, who was like a second brother to him. Joel loved making his granddaughters, Alayna and Alice, laugh until their sides hurt. His strange sense of humor and warm personality resulted in many longtime friendships. He will be missed dearly. Joel is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by brother, Craig Sicker, daughter, Erin (Tim) Gavin, son, Colin Sicker, two grandchildren Alayna and Alice Gavin. All are welcome to the visitation and funeral. Business casual dress preferred. He hated wearing suits. Visitation will be held Monday, August 30, 2021 from 3 until 7 p.m. at the Beidelman-Kunsch Funeral Homes & Crematory, 516 S. Washington St. Naperville. A chapel service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 31st at the funeral home. Interment will follow at the Naperville Cemetery. Info www.beidelmankunschfh.com. 630-355-0264