Joel Lee Hess, 71, of Indianapolis, IN passed away on October 16, 2025. He is survived by his wife Jennifer L. (Jones) Hess of Indianapolis, IN, two sons Joseph Hess and Justin Hess, two grandchildren Remington and Rayne Hess, two sisters Julie Gaskins and Jill Vicory, and a brother Jeff Hess.  Joel was the child of Jerry and Jackie (St. John) Hess, who passed away in 1985 and 2015, respectively.

We will remember Joel as a loving husband, father, grandparent, and friend.  Joel and Jenny recently celebrated 41 years of marriage.  Joel and Jenny met at a local spot 43 years ago and it was love at first sight.  Fast forward to today, if you go through Joel's phone, you will see countless pictures of his two granddaughters, the apples of Joel's eyes.

Joel Hess was born in South Bend, Indiana and he moved to Indianapolis as an adolescent.  Joel loved sports and participated in his school's baseball and swim teams.  He also enjoyed fishing with his dad, brother and grandfather on Hudson Lake in northern Indiana, where his grandparents had a summer cottage.

Like his siblings, Joel was strongly encouraged by his mom to take up a musical instrument. He played the coronet in his junior high school band but it wasn't long before rock and roll became the passion of his teen-age years. He loved listening to Jethro Tull and Cream, among other classic rock bands.

Joel was the "cool kid" in school and his easygoing nature made him popular with other students.  His younger sister Jill recalls Joel providing advice on fashion and music, going with her to buy her first record album and also gently encouraging her not to wear stripes with plaids to school.

Motivated by his dad's passion for nature, Joel was an animal lover.  He always had a dog at home, including (most recently) his dogs Molly and Kady.  His backyard featured a birder feeder, plenty of bird feed, and an abundance of birds (including many cardinals!).

As an adult, Joel's favorite places to fish were the "border waters" in Northern Minnesota and Kay Lake in Canada.  Joey's most vivid memory of Joel from his childhood was fishing at a fly-in outpost at Kay Lake.  More recently, Joel (with extra support from his two boys) caught a 48-inch muskie at Lake Kabetegoma in 2020 - if you visited Joel's bedroom today, you would find this photo featured prominently on his nightstand.

In addition to fishing, Joel was passionate about sports. When they were children, he coached Joey and Justin's sports teams either as head coach or assistant coach - with Joel as head coach, Joey's fifth grade basketball team went undefeated.

Joel was also an avid sports watcher.  His primary professional teams were the Colts, Pacers, Fever, and White Sox.  He was a fan of all Purdue Athletics, and he will certainly continue watching Purdue's #1 2025-2026 ranked basketball team in heaven.

Joel graduated from Southport high school in 1972.  He spent his career in multiple occupations.  For the majority of his career, Joel was a manager (Speedway, Amoco, and then BP) in Southport, IN.  Joel then spent five years as a line manager at Wavetec/Acterna.  Motivated by Justin's collegiate pursuits, in his late 50's, Joel Hess pursued an accounting degree through Ivy Tech.  After receiving this degree, Joel concluded his career in accounting at the Roudebush VA Medical Center.

Joel was always there when his family needed him.  We will miss his candid and loving spirit. Joel, you will always be here with us in our hearts.

A visitation for a time of sharing and gathering will take place on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 from 3PM until 6PM at Swartz Family Community Mortuary and Memorial Center, 300 South U.S. 31 (Morton Street) in Franklin, IN.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the American Red Cross, 1510 North Meridian Street. Suite 130, Indianapolis, IN 46202 or at www.redcross.org/local/indiana.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.swartzmortuary.com.  Information 317-738-0202.