A TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH FRANK PATRICKUS, II, 1947-2018

We at the Missouri Folk Arts Program were incredibly sad to learn that Joseph Frank Patrickus, II (Joe) died on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Joe was an old friend of the Missouri Folk Arts Program, even before it was called the Missouri Folk Arts Program. He was an early participant in the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, where he taught apprentices Joseph F. Patrickus, III and Franklin Holler in 1987, the third year of the program. Joe went on to teach more apprentices, including his daughter Kate, between 1989 and 2007. Readers can read a profile of Joe in our online exhibition Master Artists/Master Teachers here: https://mofolkarts.missouri.edu/exhibits/joseph-joe-patrickus/. 

The Missouri Folk Arts Program shared news of Joe’s death with former staff members of the Missouri Folk Arts Program who responded:

Dana Everts-Boehm: “Very sad to hear about Joe’s death. He was an amazingly talented and dedicated boot maker.”

Julie Youmans: “It’s always sad to hear the loss of one of the energetic, sharing, and caring people we’ve met working with traditional arts. I always think of him when I travel near Camdenton. He was a bright spot in the Program.”

Lisa Rathje: “He was a gem and will be missed.”

Jackson Medel: “I am very saddened to hear this news. Joe had such a great presence and personality. I know he will be missed by both his family and the people who got the opportunity to meet him. I am glad that I was one of those people. My condolences. I’ll be thinking of Joe tonight.”

Ryan Habermeyer: “I’m incredibly sad to hear this news. I only met Joe once–such fond memories of being in his shop and learning about boot-making–but I feel like after transcribing that interview I knew him a lifetime. He struck me as an honest, compassionate, genuine human being. He leaves behind a tremendous legacy. Glad I got to meet him.” Ryan wrote an article about Joe for the Museum Magazine in 2017, which can be found on our website here: https://mofolkarts.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Fall-2017-Magazine-Folk-Arts-Article.pdf

Lisa Higgins, our Missouri Folk Arts Program director, said: “I not only counted Joe as an important master artist with whom I worked over many years but also as a friend. He graciously agreed to two interviews and follow up last year for an article I wanted to write about him and his work as a custom western bootmaker. Joe shared great stories in the interviews and was a very good editor, too. I believe the article will be Chapter 1 in the forthcoming book Folklore and the Expressive Lives of Elders, edited by Jon Kay, PhD for Indiana University Press. I will miss talking to Joe on the phone and visiting him at the shop but always remember his artistry, his work ethic, and his determination.” 

Always a friend of the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program, Joe and his family suggested memorials be left to the Missouri Folk Arts Program; we are humbled and honored by the request.