It is with great sadness that we announce that Joe passed away on Monday, 8/3/26 at around 10am.

He was truly one of a kind and will be missed by many of us for a very long time (perhaps until the end of time). He was fun loving and outgoing. Mostly he loved to help folks out with car and general home repairs. “Check Joe’s Warehouse before you buy anything, because I probably have one (or two or three) of what you need!” He loved to help with whatever your project might be.

But what he was most proud of was the Rockefeller Center Tree in 2012. The 80-foot Norway spruce was found 50 miles from the New York City in Joe’s backyard in Flanders, New Jersey. Joe said, "It's a thrill of a lifetime to have the chance to donate the tree to Rockefeller Center and for millions of people to see it all over the world."

These last few months of being confined to a wheelchair were as hard or harder on him as it was for those of us who loved him. He has so many friends, but it is his partner of forty years, Sally, and his daughter Holly and sons John and Erik that will miss him the most.

Joe (Jozsef Sandor Balku) was born in Encsencs, Hungary to Ferenc and Maria Balku. He came to New Jersey in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution and served in the Army reserved. He owned a gas & service station and towing business in New Jersey for over forty years before retiring to Florida in 2013.

Joe will be missed by many, many people in many countries around the world. We will plan a small Celebration of Life shortly.