Smile-4Joe Memorial Fund

When Joe Hodl died of COVID-19 in August 2020 I lost more than a patient, I lost a friend.  His sardonic humor was ever present and made everyone around him smile.  As a booster of Post Falls High School for 27 years, 13 of which he served as President and where his wife Cheri has worked for 19 years, he was always ready to lend a hand of support.  Even when things weren't easy he still found a way to make a joke and invariably had a smile (or a smirk) on his face.

That's why I thought a fitting tribute to Joe would be the creation of a face mask - to acknowledge the disease that took his life at age 64, but one with a smile on it.  So with the generous support of Ironwood Family Practice and Granier Marketing and the help of Brand It as well as design help from Joe's family we have created 700 masks in Joe's honor.  And thanks to the Post Falls School District for allowing us to use their facility, there will be a drive through to give them all away on December 12th from 1-3 p.m. at the high school.


100% of all donations collected will be used to produce more masks which will also be given away for free to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to spread the smile that honors Joe so well.  Our hope is that regardless of our differences we might be able to all come together to wear this mask to honor Joe or any other friend or family member affected by this disease.  In the end it's not about the politics or personal freedom versus public safety, it's about honoring a friend.  It's about smiling-4Joe.


 There will be volunteers ready to hand out masks for free to anyone who drives through the Post Falls High School bus lane from 1 -3 p.m on Saturday, December 12th.  


Geoff Emry, MD