Joseph Alby Kuznicki

In Loving Memory of Joseph Alby Kuznicki

Joseph Alby Kuznicki, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away peacefully on June 12, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. He was 65 years old.

Born on February 20, 1959 in Denver, Colorado, Joe was the oldest son of Henry and Gayle Kuznicki. He grew up with a love for working on cars and especially his muscle car - a dark blue 1965 Mustang.

Joe graduated from Lincoln high school. He put his love of working on machines to use with his job at Hotsy, a high pressure, hot water cleaning system for large equipment vehicles. During this time he met his future wife, Elizabeth Leyba and wooed her with his charming good looks, quick wit and funny Polish jokes (being Polish, he knew many) not to mention he had a cool muscle car—a 64 ½ Mustang that he loved. Joe also learned how to paint cars at this time. He and Elizabeth decided to test out Joe’s skills on her ’73 VW bug. Together they went after work to a paint booth and took the chrome off the car and sanded it all down and painted it a beautiful burnt orange color, taking about a month to complete. They decided to take a road trip in the “new” car and visited Disney Land and Sea World in California and a day trip over to Tijuana. The following year they went to Las Vegas for a short trip with Elizabeth’s parents. 

April of 1982 Joe joined the Army. He went to boot camp at Ft Sill, OK. Once he graduated from boot camp, he and Elizabeth were married in August of 1982. From there he was stationed at Ft Lewis/McCord military base for two years. His next tour of duty was Honolulu, Hawaii where they enjoyed the wonderful food, the many beaches and flea markets and the spirit of Mahalo. Elizabeth gave birth to their first child at Tripler Army medical hospital while they were stationed on the island of Oahu in 1984. After Joe’s tour in Hawaii the family returned to Colorado where Joe and Elizabeth were blessed with their second child in 1987.

Together, they started their civilian life with their two children, Hollie and Victor Kuznicki. In the summer of 1987 Joe, Elizabeth and Hollie (Victor would be born a couple of months later) made a road trip to Tennessee to see Elizabeth’s family then on to Florida to see Joe’s aunt. Joe, Elizabeth and Hollie made a quick trip to Disney World while there. Joe always loved doing family activities like going to the zoo, going fishing in the mountains with the kids and their cousins or going to the Renaissance festival and other fun outdoor activities. Joe would take the kids to Washington Park and show them how to catch crawdads with just a hook and piece of liver. They got a big kick out of that. When the kids were little Joe loved showing them how to pound nails in a piece of wood or use a ratcheting screwdriver. Other times he would get model kits and show them how to put them together. Back in the day the kids would go with him to Cripple Creek casinos and Joe would keep them well supplied with coins to play the children’s video games.

A few years later Joe attended Emily Griffith and received a degree in computers.

Joe is survived by Elizabeth Kuznicki, his children, Hollie Amber Justice Kuznicki and Victor Allen Kuznicki; his granddaughter, Oakleigh Sky Kuznicki; his brother Randy Kuznicki, aunt and uncle; cousin and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Gayle Kuznicki.

A celebration of Joe’s life will be held on July 8, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Horan and McConaty, 1091 S. Colorado Blvd. From there an honorary military service will be held at Ft Logan National Cemetery in Denver, 4400 W Kenyon Ave. There will be a remembrance gathering once returning from Ft Logan.

Joseph Kuznicki’s legacy of love, kindness, and service will live on in the hearts of all who knew him. He will be deeply missed but forever remembered for his gentle spirit and the beautiful difference he made in the world.