Joe Vance Daniel, Jr. was born in Indiana on September 27, 1942 to Joe Vance Daniel Sr. (Vance) and Florence Thompson. After WWII, his dad, being a wise man, made the great decision to move back to Deming, New Mexico. This is where Joe attended school. In High School, Joe was active in the Wildcat Band and on the tennis team, which began his lifelong love of tennis. He graduated in 1960 and this year’s class reunion would have been number 60.
After high school, he went to McMurry University for a couple of years. In October of 1963, Joe joined the Army (05H20 Morse Interceptor-SP5). As the story goes, Joe was a signal operator (ASA), during the Vietnam War. On a little R & R in Tokyo, he spent some of his time enjoying his lifelong love of tennis. While playing one day, the next court had four “older” ladies. One asked Joe for some pointers which he graciously provided. She turned out to be a general’s wife and made the request that Joe become her tennis coach. Joe said his remaining tour was limited to the tennis battle field and coaching. However, records show Joe remained as a Morse Interceptor Operator – ASA. Joe was honorably discharged in September of 1967.
After the army, Joe went to Silver City where he attended Western New Mexico University and was the number one man on the tennis team. He graduated from Western in 1970. Then he started a job at Grant County in Silver City and also worked for Donald Graham as a residential appraiser. In 1977, his life made another dramatic change. He ran into Mike Hofacket who convinced him to learn computer programming and Mike would be his teacher. In a short period of time, Joe became the Data Processing (the old word for Information Technology) Manager and supported the new Grant County’s computer system.
In 1979, Joe was introduced to Rick Patterson and Joe, Rick, and Mike started a computer services company called Triadic Enterprises, Inc. It was the simplest of times. Just borrow money at 18 ½ percent, and start. Development took time and Joe grew in skill and dedicated 80+ hours a week to the new project. The results? Triadic is alive and well after 41 years. But there is more, much more.
Rick was not only Joe’s partner, he was his accountant, financial advisor, and friend. In fact, Joe, Rick, and Mike became so close, people thought they were related. And they were. They had different parents together, loved each other as brothers, and would do anything for each other.
Joe is predeceased by his dad -Vance, his birth mom - Florence, his step-mom - Geraldine Daniel (who raised him and who he considered to be Mom), and step-mom - Tean Mosley Offutt Daniel. He was also predeceased by some of his Triadic family, Carlos Rivas and Bill Roehmer.
He is survived by his half-sister Linda Jackson in Florida and members of his Triadic family which included his two brothers, partners in Triadic for 41 years and the people he worked with, laughed with, and loved at Triadic. Joe was never blessed with children but considered Mark Harrison (a former Triadic employee) as his son and Stacy Charles Kuhn and Jaclyn Dominguez as his daughters along with the three ladies who worked with him at Triadic, Tina Gonzales Helle, Irma Rodriguez, and Leandra Hofacket Stewart. Joe is also survived by the many friends he made throughout New Mexico.
In the last decade or so, Joe did not take much in the way of vacations preferring to be around his Triadic family with one exception. He would buy fudge for the customers and drive around New Mexico delivering it to the various county, city, and school offices.
But Joe’s generosity was much more than Christmas fudge. He constantly gave those who were struggling, a hand up. Gave those who were trying to make a living by selling burritos door-to-door, too much for the food. Gave those who worked in the restaurant service industry, very generous tips. And there is much more, some of which we will never know and some of which he would like left anonymous.
The hearts are shattered at Triadic and the souls bleed. But we are all extremely grateful that our lives included the life of Joe Vance Daniel, Jr. We were blessed. And, if you knew Joe, you were also.
Joe completed his earthly journey on May 4th, 2020 at the age of 77 and is now onto another adventure. Vaya con Dios.
Cremation was entrusted to Baca's Mimbres Crematory and inurnment has taken place at the family plot at Mountain View Cemetery in Deming.
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