PONDER, Joe

PONDER, Joe

H. Joe Ponder, age 87, passed away peacefully on January 9, 2022. He was at home and surrounded by his loving family in Noblesville, IN.

Joe, son of James Oscar and Gladys (Hargraves) Ponder, was born September 20, 1934, in Hamilton, Ohio. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Ray and Darrel, and

son-in-law Tom O'Connor. He is survived by his beautiful wife of 68 years, Jean (Miller)

Ponder, three daughters; Teri (Rick) Fledderman, DJ O'Connor, Tracey (Scott) Giglio, two granddaughters; Kelli (Mike) Parness and Amanda (Charlie) Fuhrer. Joe is also survived by six great-grandchildren who provided many years of joy, laughter and – most importantly – Poppa Joe cuddles.

Joe graduated from Lemon-Monroe High School in 1952 alongside friends that would be near and dear to him for years to come. Upon graduation, Joe joined the factory team at Packaging Corporation of America and in no time began to rise through the ranks of customer service, ultimately landing in their sales organization. Joe's work ethic was second to none… and fostered from an early age on the farm, with milking duties both before and after school. His people skills were a gift from God. Joe had an ability to build loving and lasting relationships anywhere and at any time. The combination of these things led Building lasting relationships. This combination propelled Joe for 40+ years at PCA. He was so proud of this organization and his client relationships and

reminded everyone around him how important it was to love what you do.

Joe also knew how to play as hard as he worked. From Lake Cumberland long weekends to golf trips with friends to line dancing, Joe Ponder wasn't shy about chasing the things that brought him joy. But nothing (outside of his kids and grandkids) brought him joy quite like cars. Preferably classic, custom and too nice to even drive. Joe's car count sits somewhere between 50-500. And at the age of 66, he did "what he'd wanted to do since he was 16" and opened up a classic car show room. "Joe's Classic Cars" in Lebanon, Ohio, provided hours of fun… and wheeling and dealing of course.

Above family and fun, Joe loved God. He walked in his faith every single day and didn't take any of his many blessings for granted. Joe Ponders faith led him to give and serve those in need, and he did so with grace and a humbleness all admired. Be it in a small bible in his garage or gospel music playing in the background, God was always with Joe.

In 2017, Joe and Jean decided to make the move from Ohio to Noblesville, IN, to be close to family. This gave Joe the opportunity to teach a new generation about kindness and compassion, money management, personal grooming and the importance of a good cologne, loving the Lord… and of course CARS. Joe's family will carry these lessons with them every day, and memories of him will be the biggest of blessings.

A private service for family will be held on Tuesday, January 18th at Rose Hill Funeral Home and Burial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to one of the following: A Child's Hope International, 2400 E. Kemper Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45241