Joseph Edward Heffernan III passed away on November 25, 2024 in Delray Beach, FL. He was 66 years old.

Joe was born on July 22, 1958 to Joseph Edward Heffernan II and Maureen Elizabeth Leary in Milford, CT. After his mother died in 1967, his father married Margaret (O'Hara) Heffernan and the family moved to Boynton Beach, Florida in 1973, settling in the Chapel Hill neighborhood.

He attended Atlantic High School, where he nurtured his lifelong love affair with all things mechanical. From bicycles to cars, from boats to heavy equipment - Joe could find a way to fix anything. An avid inventor, he filled countless notebooks with ideas and sketches, including his infamous "Tall Bikes" (one as high as 13 ft) which he would ride in local parades for many years.

"Adventure" was truly his middle name. Among his favorite tales was backpacking across Europe - eventually joining the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. He rode a jet ski clear across the state of Florida and once placed 5th at the 1988 World Jet Ski Finals in Lake Havasu. He surfed in Costa Rica and helped build Nomad Surf Shop in Ocean Ridge. As a snowmobile tour guide in Steamboat Springs, he would take his then infant-daughter, Crystal, down trails in a backpack Baby Bjorn, easily lulling her to sleep. He rode a skateboard 7mi downhill on the Blue Ridge Parkway and was a ski instructor at Cataloochee Mountain. He became enamored with the Everglades in his 50s, building his own airboat, and would often "surf" in its wake as alligators looked on. But his greatest adventure was riding his bicycle from Boynton Beach, FL to Anchorage, AK in 1981.

Joe's home was a frequent gathering place for his many friends and loved ones. He lived for nearly 30 years off E. Ocean Ave in Boynton, where his shop door was always open to any project. Everyone knew if they needed something fixed or a mechanical problem solved - you brought it to Joe, always ready to help a friend in need.

Joe lived life on his own terms. When first diagnosed with cancer in 2018, he took the challenge head-on, using lessons he learned as a teen at Unity Church to mentally prepare for his many rounds of treatments. After a long battle, he finally succumbed to the disease with family at his bedside.

He is survived by his daughter Crystal, sister Laura Appel, brother John (Jack), his mom Peg, his first wife Janice, and his long-time partner Vickie Beane Mitchell; along with his nieces and nephews Kelly Connell, Jeff Appel, Rachel Majzel, Dylan, and Hunter.

A Celebration of Life is planned for 1pm on Sunday, January 12, 2025 at Lake Ida Park West.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Jack the Bike Man , a local non-profit gifting bicycles to kids in need.