Joseph S. Piekos, 91, of Bradenton, Florida, passed away peacefully with family by his side on April 12, 2024. Joseph was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 13, 1932, to the late Joseph and Eleonora (Szymanska) Piekos. A 1950 graduate of Taft High School, in Chicago, Illinois, Joseph went on to earn an associate degree from Wright College in 1954 before enlisting in the U.S. Army during the Korean War where he was sent overseas and proudly served his country until he was honorably discharged in 1956.
It was at this time he married the love of his life, Dolores, all while starting his eclectic range of careers in sales, transportation and the machinery moving business. Always a self-starter, Joseph then changed careers one final time in 1984, taking classes at night and on weekends, at the Appraisal Institute, to become a certified residential real estate appraiser, eventually earning the Appraisal Institute's highest residential designation of SRA.
Thus, Piekos Appraisals was born and Joseph spent a long and successful career being his own boss and a proud small business owner, even training three of his four children as residential appraisers.
He definitely practiced the "work hard, play hard" philosophy and spent his free time with family and friends, holding dear the Sunday family dinners and spending Saturdays playing with whatever recreational vehicle he owned at the time: mini-bikes, snowmobiles, classic cars, boats, RV's and even an airplane, whereby he actually earned his pilot's license. He loved to get his hands dirty and fix and maintain all his own machines. He was also a gifted carpenter, who owned all the best tools and knew how to use them, even assisting the general contractor in building his dream house in Bloomingdale. Joseph later used his carpenter skills on St. Isidore's spring break mission trips to rebuild churches, teaching the Harvard college students how to swing a hammer and hang drywall. He was a devoted volunteer at his Catholic parish in both Illinois and Florida and a respected member of the Knights of Columbus.
In his retirement to Bradenton, Florida, he would start each day by taking an exhilarating 1-mile walk and greet every neighbor with a smile, every dog with a treat and every squirrel with a nut. He was very optimistic and outgoing. Joseph and Dolores did everything together from cultivating and caring for all of their own plants and landscaping to golfing and keeping up with all of their beloved grandchildren.
Joseph was preceded in death by his loving wife of 67 years, Dolores, and is survived by his four children, Paul (Patricia) Piekos, Mark (Kimberly) Piekos, Caroline Piekos and Nancy (Lance) O'Donnell. Grandfather to nine wonderful grandchildren: Samantha, Jacqueline, Melissa, Christian (Mary), Matthew, Lily (Mitchell), Cassandra, William and Blake and great-grandfather to Summer. Joseph was preceded in death by his two older brothers, Peter Piekos (Josephine), William Piekos (Jean) and older sister Laura Duray (Edward).
A dual Celebration of Life will be held in his and his late wife's honor at a future date to be determined by the family at St. Isidore Parish in Bloomingdale, IL. Brown & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory 43rd Street Chapel, 604 43rd Street West, Bradenton, FL 34209, is in charge of arrangements.
