Support Joel's Family in Fulfilling His Final Request.

After battling eight hard-fought years with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Joel Lee Painter—our father/brother/uncle/best friend—had received the news that the cancer was officially gone from his body and the brain tumor he had battled surgically and with chemo/radiation had finally shrunk down to nearly nothing. For the first time in eight years, his cancer and the fear of his passing was the furthest thing from our minds—we were overjoyed! So you can’t imagine the shock and painful grief we felt when he was found deceased in his apartment where he resided alone on Sunday, June 30th.

His poor body had just been through so much. It did carry him to the other side of the fight to claim his well-deserved victory, even though it was only for a short while. But the battle had taken its toll on him and it was time for him to return his home in eternity with his loved ones. We had eight years to prepare and say goodbyes and take special last trips and make memories with him. But for it to strike like this…after our hopes were so high…is even worse than the way we feared it would be when he was taken from us.

Joel didn’t have much, if anything, and left virtually nothing. Our family is coming together to do everything we can to honor his only wish he ever expressed about his final disposition: he did not want cremation. He pleaded to be interred in a casket in the plot saved for him, right next to his parents in Santaquin, Utah. We sat down as a family and discussed doing this GoFundMe and it ultimately came down to the fact that, even though Joel had been dealt a terrible hand and had suffered so many heartaches and so much pain, he was always upbeat and had a smile and would help anyone. Through it all, he never asked for anything except to be buried in a casket next to his parents.

It’s not cheap, as I’m sure most of you know—and we have been caught so unaware we are struggling to do this financially. But we have decided that for all of the times we felt so helpless to do anything for him in his sickness, this is something we can do for him as our ultimate act of love and we would so appreciate you joining our efforts with any help you may be able to give. And if you can’t contribute monetarily, please please just pray for us and share this fundraiser for a 52 year old man who was taken away far too soon.

Thank you and God bless you always.