On Tuesday, May 5th, 2020, Joseph E. Mudd entered eternal life at the age of 72 in Coto de Caza, California, of chronic leukemia. His spirit is carried on by his wife of nearly 22 years, eight children—six biological and two step-daughters who he embraced as his own—seventeen grandchildren, and eight siblings, as well as many friends and relatives from all facets of his life. Joe was born on May 16th, 1947, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Joseph Edward "Ed" Mudd and Marie Therese "Tessie" Renard Mudd.

Joe spent his early years in St. Louis, Missouri, with many cousins. Notably, as a freckle-faced red-headed child, he won a Huck Finn look-a-like contest at the Huck Finn Days Festival in St. Louis—an award he carried proudly throughout his life. In his early teen years, his family moved to Longmont, Colorado. Catholic education was extremely important to his parents, so he traveled to Denver every day to attend Regis Catholic High School. Typical days at this time were long as he would often work for a neighbor in the morning, catch a ride with a businessman to attend school, and then go back to work in the evenings, all while maintaining his studies.

During the summer before his sophomore year of high school, the Mudd family relocated to Billings, Montana, where he attended Billings Central Catholic High School through graduation in 1965. He was a well-liked and involved student. With his musical talents, he played guitar and
sang in a band, often playing for school dances. He was very athletic, strong, and had a love of sports. He was awarded the most-physically-fit student in his class after climbing the rope in gym class with just his arms. He wrestled on Billings Central's state winning wrestling team.
Joe's athleticism did not go unnoticed by Billings Central's football coach to the point where he went to the Mudd house to convince Joe's dad to allow him to play. However, despite the pleadings by the coach and Joe, Joe's dad would not let him play.

Joe's strong work ethic defined his character. He was a hard worker and took school and every job—no matter how big or small—seriously. As a teenager, Joe was often found working as a farm or ranch hand and was proud of how strong he was; he could throw more hay bales in a shorter amount of time than anyone else his age. In high school, he took a job as an ice cream delivery man riding a scooter around Billings with an icebox delivering frozen treats.

Upon graduation from Billings Central, Joe moved to Helena and attended Carroll College before transferring to the University of Montana, where he graduated with a degree in Business Management. Joe continued his education at the University of Montana School of Law and graduated with Juris Doctorate in 1972.

Joe met Beverly Smith, his first wife, when he tutored her in math in high school. They married in the summer of 1966 and later divorced. By the time Joe finished law school and moved to Billings, he and Bev had three children, Lisa, Becky, and Kevin. In the summer of 1974, he moved his family to Bridger, Montana, where he opened his own law firm. In 1976, Joe fulfilled his dream of owning a farm. After moving to Bridger, Joe and Bev added four more children to their home—Libby, Danielle, Matt, and Jon.

The family enjoyed their time on the farm, along with the many animals that lived on the property. Sadly, in 1986, the home was lost in a fire. During the family's time in Bridger, Joe was extremely involved with the community, serving on the school board, leading youth groups, serving as a volunteer fireman, and filling the Catholic Church and community with his music, creating memories by playing guitar and singing.

In 1986, Joe moved to New York to attend NYU School of Law to further his law studies. After graduating in 1987 with his LL.M. in Taxation, he subsequently moved to Southern California to work as a Senior IRS counsel before starting his own law practice in Irvine. His kids remained in Montana but spent every summer creating memories with him in California. Moreover, he always made time to travel back to Montana to visit his kids, taking them on hunting and ski trips, and attending as many of their school and athletic events as possible.

Joe met Patrice Darrah in 1986, and after an extended courtship, they married in 1998. With the marriage, Joe became a father figure of Patrice's two daughters—Ashley and Charlie. Together, the four of them lived in Coto de Caza before Ashley and Charlie moved on to their adult lives. He valued the Catholic education system and was proud of their attendance at Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

Joe was proud of Patrice's accomplishments and hard work she put into owning various businesses including dog grooming and Maggie Moo ice cream, and would fondly talk about all of the dreams they had together. Over their 22 years of marriage, Joe and Patrice shared many great memories. They shared a love of travel, such as exploring small towns throughout Italy to taking a 50-mile tandem bike ride down to Rosarito, Mexico, to, yes, taking frequent trips to Las Vegas (those craps tables were always calling him back!).

Joe and Patrice shared a deep love for animals. Their home in Coto de Caza (or "The Ranch") always held many dogs, cats, and birds. As a father, not only was Joe flying back and forth around the country to visit his children and grandchildren, he was also there to support Ashley and Charlie and participated in many adventures with Patrice's girls including sporting events, favorite foods, moving them to and from college, and passing along his Catholic faith.

Being an attorney was such an important part of Joe's life. He served as the Orange County Bar Association Past-President. Joe also maintained the honor of holding the AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review, which is the highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards and is a distinction bestowed on a small percentage of lawyers in the United States. At 72, he was still practicing law at Freeman, Freeman and Smiley, LLP. Throughout his legal career, Joe was known to accept "alternative" forms of payment for services rendered from indigent clients. Examples of such payments range from canned goods to a camper, from an African gray parrot to a pony.

Joe had a larger-than-life presence. Anyone lucky enough to cross paths with him instantly became his friend. He was an avid and colorful storyteller. He loved a good joke, hosting magnificent parties, and filling a room with his infectious and distinct laugh. He loved traveling, especially to Las Vegas, and spent many hours at the craps table teaching all his kids, their spouses, and many strangers how to play. His grandkids were the light of his life. Even though so many of them were located all over the world, Grandpa Joe never missed a birthday and made it a priority to attend their big events. Ever the outdoorsman, Joe loved camping and made many fond memories of playing his guitar and singing around the campfire. He was a devout Catholic and a member of the San Francisco Solano Catholic Church in Rancho Santa Margarita.

How lucky are we to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. Joe's song has ended, but the melody lingers on. Come to me, I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

Joe is survived by his wife Patrice (Darrah) Mudd of Coto de Caza, California, daughters Lisa (Brian) Losness of Boise, ID, Becky (Mike) Bell of Friday Harbor, WA, Elizabeth "Libby" (Jason) Wenderski of Big Lake, MN, Danielle (Jeff) Watson of Billings, MT, Ashley (Chris) Weaver, of Trabuco Canyon, CA, and Charlie (Fred) Krauss of Chicago, IL. Sons, Matthew "Matt" (Lindy) Mudd of Helena, MT, and Jonathan "Jon" (Alyssa) Mudd of Hai Phong, Vietnam. Siblings Jeanie Mudd of Pierce, AZ, Dan (Lisa) Mudd of Salmon, ID, Cathy Mudd (Marty) Lord of Helena, MT, Lou (Catherine) Mudd of Fruita, CO, Will Mudd of Grass Valley CA, Mary (Jay) Hayes of Meridian, ID, Tom (Kathy) Mudd of Bridger, MT, and Andy Mudd of Bozeman, MT. Grandchildren, Amanda (Matt) Ross, Reilly and Trevor Losness, Michael, Marissa, and Bridger Bell, Maia, Brenna, Kyla, and Connor Wenderski, Braden and Ezekiel "Zeke" Watson, Justus and Shiloh Mudd, Kynslee, Caleb, and Quinn Mudd, and his beloved dog Leo.

He is preceded in death by his parents Ed and Tess Mudd, brother Matthew, and beloved son Kevin.

Due to COVID a small family funeral will be held at 3:00 PM on Monday May 11th at McCormick and Sons Chapel at 25002 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California 92637. A link to a live stream of the service will be available for those who are unable to attend in person. A separate ceremony will be held at a later date in Billings, Montana where Joe will be buried by his son Kevin.

Donations may be made in his name to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Billings Catholic Schools Foundation BACET fund, and the Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic High School EAGLE fund or a charity of your choice.