December 14, 1965 – April 11, 2024
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the sudden passing of Andrew Joseph Nagy – known to all as Joe. Despite being an extrovert and often the life of the party, Joe was a very private person. We acknowledge that he would loathe all the attention that is being paid to him right now.
Although a less than average life span, Joe did not live an average life. He traveled where he wanted to go, brought laughter into every place he went, learned all he possibly could in the time he was here, and loved his friends and family deeply.
Joe is survived by many who loved him, miss his hugs and his terrible puns already, including: Patricia; Jennifer and sons Spencer and Owen; Clayton, Mel, and children Taylor, Landon, Carter, Lawson; Alexandria and Jon; Madison and Brendan; mother Grace and her partner Don; brother and former bandmate Paul and Kerry; his best friend Heather, her son Erik, and his faithful companion Maximus. His legacy of adventure will live on through all of his loved ones.
From the young age of 5, Joe showed a strong work ethic as he worked on the family farm. When the family moved to Manitoulin Island, his dedication to be active continued as he worked on a dairy farm and refereeing junior hockey. He was also something of a mischief maker, particularly when paired with his older brother Paul. He often said he was surprised he still had all his fingers and toes, given all the fireworks he played with as a teenager.
Joe was proud to serve in the Canadian Armed Forces 1983-1986. We are told he had to “run laps all the time and do a lot of pushups” in an attempt to stop him from talking so much - this will not be surprising to anyone who knew him.
He had a strong passion for food throughout his life - he loved to learn about and try new recipes and techniques. Joe believed food was the basis of community and shared his knowledge, jars of sauerkraut, and various garden vegetables (most frequently hot peppers and tomatoes) with everyone he could.
His strong work ethic and love of food were showcased throughout his career with notable companies such as Campbell's, Maple Leaf Foods, and Farmland Foods. Joe's vast knowledge of food processing led to him being a highly sought after resource across North America, particularly with pork processing.
Joe was a co-founder with business partners Ron and Heather of a vibrant food engineering and consulting company based out of Cambridge, Ontario. It was within the IFAB Engineering world that Joe’s talents truly emerged as a leader within the sector. The people at IFAB honestly were his “work family” and friends. Recent days have included many outpourings from across North America from his vast network of people whom he made laugh - a long list.
Anyone who knows Joe knew of his love for the outdoors. He was an avid and respectful hunter and fisherman, and took pride in teaching anyone who was interested in learning good techniques and practices.
Despite vehemently stating throughout his life that there were only two good days for a boat (the day you buy it and the day you sell it) Joe bought a boat in recent years. He spent many days in the summer enjoying all types of weather and waves with his family and friends.
When the weather was too unfavorable for the boat, he could be found most weekend mornings driving as far as his Ford truck could take him with Maximus at his side. He used that time to explore the countryside and to call and catch up on life with loved ones.
Joe was also known for his random facts, references to various movies, songs, commercials, and jokes he shared with his family and friends. He repeated these often in an effort to get everyone to understand his references. He succeeded - they will be repeating these for years.
We are assured that, after a great and powerful life, he has gone on. He will be greatly missed.
Cremation has taken place. A future date will be set for a celebration of life.
Instead of flowers, Joe would hope that you will do an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness to someone in his name.