Funeral & memorial for Joey Hatch

Update 2:

Joey's Celebration of Life is June 4, 2023 at 1 PM at the Lemon Grove Little League Field. A full obituary can be found here:

https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/joeyhatch/

UPDATE: As of Fri 4/14/23 we reached our goal of $8,000. It took only 48 hours. At the request of his family we have stopped accepting donations for Joey’s funeral. I’m honestly speechless. The outpouring love and support by each and every one of you has been nothing short of incredible. Both his family and I are so grateful. Thank you so much.

-Garrett

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Joey Hatch: an amazing son, brother, uncle, friend, & co-worker who died this past Sunday 4/9/23. His death was sudden and unexpected. He was a week away from his 32nd birthday.

At 6'10", he was the tallest person many people had met. Yet, it was not his height that defined him. Those who know Joey describe him as one of the kindest, gentlest, selfless, humble, and funniest people that they have ever known. He had this unique ability to make you instantly smile with one of his playful, goofy expressions. He loved the Green Bay Packers, San Diego Padres, watching anime, snorkeling at La Jolla Cove, and playing volleyball, frisbee, water polo, and little league when he was younger. Most of all he loved his family and he would always make time for them. If you ever came over to his home, he would immediately make you feel welcome. His personality dwarfed his height and his bear hugs were legendary!

Joey will be immensely missed. As you can imagine, funeral costs are expensive and we would like to give him the celebration of life that he deserves, honor his memory, and say our goodbyes. We've set up this GoFundMe page to help his family with the burden of the expenses. The average funeral in California costs upwards of $7,500. All donations received from this fundraiser will go directly to pay these expenses. Our goal is to raise $8,000 by April 30. Please consider donating and sharing this GoFundMe, as any amount will truly help his family during this difficult time.

On behalf of Joey's family and friends, thank you so much for your support and generosity.