Joseph "Joe" Wucetich, 80

Joseph "Joe" Wucetich, 80, of Oakes, ND passed away at his home on January 22, 2021.

Joe was born on January 21, 1941 in Whitehall, MT to Thomas and Lilly (Klasna) Wucetich.

He attended school in Whitehall and graduated from Whitehall High School where he was a standout athlete in football, basketball and track. He went on to college in Bozeman, MT where he continued to play football for 2 years.

Joe took a job with the Bureau of Reclamation, which took him to numerous parts of the country. While in South Dakota he met and married Donna Maye Bishop in 1968. They later moved to Bismarck, ND and had a son, Quinn in 1977.

In 1978 Joe started M&W drilling in Oakes and would own and operate it for more than 30 years before retiring and selling the business to his long time employee and friend Wayne Dody.

Joe met Ronae McDaniel and after more than 30 years together they were happily married in 2016.

Joe made Oakes his home for the last 40 years of his life and left a lasting legacy with the work he did and the friendships he made.

He was a student of history and possessed a wealth of knowledge that he was more than happy to let you know about when watching an episode of Jeopardy. His sense of humor and sarcasm were pretty straight forward and if you were able to take it and give it just as well as he did you had his respect.

Joe could be hard as nails but his wife Ronae said he had a heart of marshmallow. Nothing brought him more joy over the last several years of his life than his three grandsons. Through them the family name carries on.

He fought hard for every extra day of life and said if he made it to 80 he would be happy. "Finish Line Crossed"

He is survived by his wife Ronae; son, Quinn (Michelle) Wucetich, Bismarck, ND; three grandsons, Konner (9), Logan (7) and Weston (22 months); two sisters, Mildred (Otto) Bausch, Whitehall, MT and MaryLynn Smith, Spokane, WA; and many nieces & nephews. Joe was preceded in death by his parents.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at Dahlstrom Funeral Home in Oakes, followed by burial at the Oakes View Cemetery. Joe's service will be live streamed on the Dahlstrom Funeral Home website http://www.dahlstromfuneralhome.com on his obituary page.

Memories may be shared and viewed on the funeral home website and condolences can be sent to Dahlstrom Funeral Home, 603 Hickory Ave., Oakes, ND 58474.