Joseph Goran Upton
Beaverton, Oregon
May 7, 1964 - August 31, 2021
Joseph "Joe" Goran Upton departed earth life on August 31, 2021, with his wife by his side. He was born the second son of John Harold Upton Jr. and Barbara Ann Richards on May 7, 1964, in Hillsboro, Oregon. His mother and father were surprised when Joe arrived as the doctor believed he would be twin girls.
The early 1960s shaped Joe's formative years from a comfortable suburban home on the outskirts of a little agricultural town known as Hillsboro, population 9,740. Joe's early life was rich with family, many cousins, frequent extended family gatherings, and his weekends year-round were spent with grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles coming together at Grandma's house to spend Friday and Saturday nights at extended family dinners and card and board games.
In his early life, Joe enjoyed the energetic outside activities of boyhood friends, games of "army" in his backyard battlefield of deep woods and creek, Little League baseball coached by his dad with an inevitable hatful of friends riding to and from ballgames piled into the back of the family's pickup. Teen summers were spent water skiing and camping during fair weather and experiencing creation without modern cares.
During high school, Joe never made friends with academic life, but with motherly encouragement he graduated Hillsboro High School in 1982. Joe was raised with fatherly guidance that young men were expected to take one of three paths: go to college, join the military, or pursue a skilled trade in an apprenticeship program.
Joe entered the United States Navy as a seaman in 1984. During intake Joe sat for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) that measures developed abilities and predicts future academic and occupational success in the military and scored one of the highest test scores ever produced by the Portland Navy recruiting station. The Navy placed Joe in its Nuclear Power School which is widely acknowledged as having the most demanding academic program in the U.S. military and, when turned out into the fleet, Joe served on a nuclear-powered fast frigate, the USS Gallery, in the Mediterranean and Arabian seas until his enlistment period ended.
Following the Navy, Joe entered into and graduated from the Portland Culinary School, eventually serving as chef in several restaurants on the Oregon coast. As years passed, Joe discovered his calling was not cooking professionally and eventually returned home to Hillsboro, following which he would enroll in PCC's Nursing Program.
Joe met Annette Bunker at the local swimming pool, where he joined the water aerobics class she taught. Annette introduced him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he was baptized into the faith on June 11, 2011. After a fairytale courtship, they were married for time and eternity in the Portland, Oregon temple on July 6, 2012. Joe would later serve there as a temple worker, which he considered one of the choice blessings of his life.
Much of Joe's later life surrounded managing his health, but he did find ways to love and live along the way. He battled three different types of cancer and experienced a number of medical treatments and procedures to manage diabetes and associated complications, as well as the cancers. Though the former navy man did not think he would enjoy more time on boats at first, at his insistence Joe and Annette cruised to the Caribbean Sea three times and to Alaska once.
Joe loved children and, though he had none of his own, kids naturally gathered around him wherever he went. Some would later adopt him as their "Uncle Joe," a title he relished. He also loved photography and digital graphic design, which he first learned so he could photograph many of those children. Subsequent graphics projects included digitizing and restoring old family photographs and creating t-shirt designs for Annette's music students.
True to his agreeable nature, Joe set aside his disability and illness to joke and laugh often with friends about life and his condition until voice finally left him. Joe was preceded in death by his mother, Barbara Ann Richards. He is survived by his eternal companion, Annette Upton, his father John Upton Jr., his brother John Upton III (Leslie), and his beloved nephews Mathew and Michael Upton.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to any of the Providence Foundations of Oregon.
Beaverton, Oregon
May 7, 1964 - August 31, 2021
Joseph "Joe" Goran Upton departed earth life on August 31, 2021, with his wife by his side. He was born the second son of John Harold Upton Jr. and Barbara Ann Richards on May 7, 1964, in Hillsboro, Oregon. His mother and father were surprised when Joe arrived as the doctor believed he would be twin girls.
The early 1960s shaped Joe's formative years from a comfortable suburban home on the outskirts of a little agricultural town known as Hillsboro, population 9,740. Joe's early life was rich with family, many cousins, frequent extended family gatherings, and his weekends year-round were spent with grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles coming together at Grandma's house to spend Friday and Saturday nights at extended family dinners and card and board games.
In his early life, Joe enjoyed the energetic outside activities of boyhood friends, games of "army" in his backyard battlefield of deep woods and creek, Little League baseball coached by his dad with an inevitable hatful of friends riding to and from ballgames piled into the back of the family's pickup. Teen summers were spent water skiing and camping during fair weather and experiencing creation without modern cares.
During high school, Joe never made friends with academic life, but with motherly encouragement he graduated Hillsboro High School in 1982. Joe was raised with fatherly guidance that young men were expected to take one of three paths: go to college, join the military, or pursue a skilled trade in an apprenticeship program.
Joe entered the United States Navy as a seaman in 1984. During intake Joe sat for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) that measures developed abilities and predicts future academic and occupational success in the military and scored one of the highest test scores ever produced by the Portland Navy recruiting station. The Navy placed Joe in its Nuclear Power School which is widely acknowledged as having the most demanding academic program in the U.S. military and, when turned out into the fleet, Joe served on a nuclear-powered fast frigate, the USS Gallery, in the Mediterranean and Arabian seas until his enlistment period ended.
Following the Navy, Joe entered into and graduated from the Portland Culinary School, eventually serving as chef in several restaurants on the Oregon coast. As years passed, Joe discovered his calling was not cooking professionally and eventually returned home to Hillsboro, following which he would enroll in PCC's Nursing Program.
Joe met Annette Bunker at the local swimming pool, where he joined the water aerobics class she taught. Annette introduced him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he was baptized into the faith on June 11, 2011. After a fairytale courtship, they were married for time and eternity in the Portland, Oregon temple on July 6, 2012. Joe would later serve there as a temple worker, which he considered one of the choice blessings of his life.
Much of Joe's later life surrounded managing his health, but he did find ways to love and live along the way. He battled three different types of cancer and experienced a number of medical treatments and procedures to manage diabetes and associated complications, as well as the cancers. Though the former navy man did not think he would enjoy more time on boats at first, at his insistence Joe and Annette cruised to the Caribbean Sea three times and to Alaska once.
Joe loved children and, though he had none of his own, kids naturally gathered around him wherever he went. Some would later adopt him as their "Uncle Joe," a title he relished. He also loved photography and digital graphic design, which he first learned so he could photograph many of those children. Subsequent graphics projects included digitizing and restoring old family photographs and creating t-shirt designs for Annette's music students.
True to his agreeable nature, Joe set aside his disability and illness to joke and laugh often with friends about life and his condition until voice finally left him. Joe was preceded in death by his mother, Barbara Ann Richards. He is survived by his eternal companion, Annette Upton, his father John Upton Jr., his brother John Upton III (Leslie), and his beloved nephews Mathew and Michael Upton.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to any of the Providence Foundations of Oregon.
Joseph Goran Upton
Beaverton, Oregon
May 7, 1964 - August 31, 2021
Joseph "Joe" Goran Upton departed earth life on August 31, 2021, with his wife by his side. He was born the second son of John Harold Upton Jr. and Barbara Ann Richards on May 7, 1964, in Hillsboro, Oregon. His mother and father were surprised when Joe arrived as the doctor believed he would be twin girls.
The early 1960s shaped Joe's formative years from a comfortable suburban home on the outskirts of a little agricultural town known as Hillsboro, population 9,740. Joe's early life was rich with family, many cousins, frequent extended family gatherings, and his weekends year-round were spent with grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles coming together at Grandma's house to spend Friday and Saturday nights at extended family dinners and card and board games.
In his early life, Joe enjoyed the energetic outside activities of boyhood friends, games of "army" in his backyard battlefield of deep woods and creek, Little League baseball coached by his dad with an inevitable hatful of friends riding to and from ballgames piled into the back of the family's pickup. Teen summers were spent water skiing and camping during fair weather and experiencing creation without modern cares.
During high school, Joe never made friends with academic life, but with motherly encouragement he graduated Hillsboro High School in 1982. Joe was raised with fatherly guidance that young men were expected to take one of three paths: go to college, join the military, or pursue a skilled trade in an apprenticeship program.
Joe entered the United States Navy as a seaman in 1984. During intake Joe sat for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) that measures developed abilities and predicts future academic and occupational success in the military and scored one of the highest test scores ever produced by the Portland Navy recruiting station. The Navy placed Joe in its Nuclear Power School which is widely acknowledged as having the most demanding academic program in the U.S. military and, when turned out into the fleet, Joe served on a nuclear-powered fast frigate, the USS Gallery, in the Mediterranean and Arabian seas until his enlistment period ended.
Following the Navy, Joe entered into and graduated from the Portland Culinary School, eventually serving as chef in several restaurants on the Oregon coast. As years passed, Joe discovered his calling was not cooking professionally and eventually returned home to Hillsboro, following which he would enroll in PCC's Nursing Program.
Joe met Annette Bunker at the local swimming pool, where he joined the water aerobics class she taught. Annette introduced him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he was baptized into the faith on June 11, 2011. After a fairytale courtship, they were married for time and eternity in the Portland, Oregon temple on July 6, 2012. Joe would later serve there as a temple worker, which he considered one of the choice blessings of his life.
Much of Joe's later life surrounded managing his health, but he did find ways to love and live along the way. He battled three different types of cancer and experienced a number of medical treatments and procedures to manage diabetes and associated complications, as well as the cancers. Though the former navy man did not think he would enjoy more time on boats at first, at his insistence Joe and Annette cruised to the Caribbean Sea three times and to Alaska once.
Joe loved children and, though he had none of his own, kids naturally gathered around him wherever he went. Some would later adopt him as their "Uncle Joe," a title he relished. He also loved photography and digital graphic design, which he first learned so he could photograph many of those children. Subsequent graphics projects included digitizing and restoring old family photographs and creating t-shirt designs for Annette's music students.
True to his agreeable nature, Joe set aside his disability and illness to joke and laugh often with friends about life and his condition until voice finally left him. Joe was preceded in death by his mother, Barbara Ann Richards. He is survived by his eternal companion, Annette Upton, his father John Upton Jr., his brother John Upton III (Leslie), and his beloved nephews Mathew and Michael Upton.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to any of the Providence Foundations of Oregon.
Beaverton, Oregon
May 7, 1964 - August 31, 2021
Joseph "Joe" Goran Upton departed earth life on August 31, 2021, with his wife by his side. He was born the second son of John Harold Upton Jr. and Barbara Ann Richards on May 7, 1964, in Hillsboro, Oregon. His mother and father were surprised when Joe arrived as the doctor believed he would be twin girls.
The early 1960s shaped Joe's formative years from a comfortable suburban home on the outskirts of a little agricultural town known as Hillsboro, population 9,740. Joe's early life was rich with family, many cousins, frequent extended family gatherings, and his weekends year-round were spent with grandparents, cousins, and aunts and uncles coming together at Grandma's house to spend Friday and Saturday nights at extended family dinners and card and board games.
In his early life, Joe enjoyed the energetic outside activities of boyhood friends, games of "army" in his backyard battlefield of deep woods and creek, Little League baseball coached by his dad with an inevitable hatful of friends riding to and from ballgames piled into the back of the family's pickup. Teen summers were spent water skiing and camping during fair weather and experiencing creation without modern cares.
During high school, Joe never made friends with academic life, but with motherly encouragement he graduated Hillsboro High School in 1982. Joe was raised with fatherly guidance that young men were expected to take one of three paths: go to college, join the military, or pursue a skilled trade in an apprenticeship program.
Joe entered the United States Navy as a seaman in 1984. During intake Joe sat for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) that measures developed abilities and predicts future academic and occupational success in the military and scored one of the highest test scores ever produced by the Portland Navy recruiting station. The Navy placed Joe in its Nuclear Power School which is widely acknowledged as having the most demanding academic program in the U.S. military and, when turned out into the fleet, Joe served on a nuclear-powered fast frigate, the USS Gallery, in the Mediterranean and Arabian seas until his enlistment period ended.
Following the Navy, Joe entered into and graduated from the Portland Culinary School, eventually serving as chef in several restaurants on the Oregon coast. As years passed, Joe discovered his calling was not cooking professionally and eventually returned home to Hillsboro, following which he would enroll in PCC's Nursing Program.
Joe met Annette Bunker at the local swimming pool, where he joined the water aerobics class she taught. Annette introduced him to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he was baptized into the faith on June 11, 2011. After a fairytale courtship, they were married for time and eternity in the Portland, Oregon temple on July 6, 2012. Joe would later serve there as a temple worker, which he considered one of the choice blessings of his life.
Much of Joe's later life surrounded managing his health, but he did find ways to love and live along the way. He battled three different types of cancer and experienced a number of medical treatments and procedures to manage diabetes and associated complications, as well as the cancers. Though the former navy man did not think he would enjoy more time on boats at first, at his insistence Joe and Annette cruised to the Caribbean Sea three times and to Alaska once.
Joe loved children and, though he had none of his own, kids naturally gathered around him wherever he went. Some would later adopt him as their "Uncle Joe," a title he relished. He also loved photography and digital graphic design, which he first learned so he could photograph many of those children. Subsequent graphics projects included digitizing and restoring old family photographs and creating t-shirt designs for Annette's music students.
True to his agreeable nature, Joe set aside his disability and illness to joke and laugh often with friends about life and his condition until voice finally left him. Joe was preceded in death by his mother, Barbara Ann Richards. He is survived by his eternal companion, Annette Upton, his father John Upton Jr., his brother John Upton III (Leslie), and his beloved nephews Mathew and Michael Upton.
In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to any of the Providence Foundations of Oregon.
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