In the days following the passing of Joe Lyons, social media filled with memories from people across Union City and beyond.

Some knew him personally. Others knew him only from seeing him around town. Some remembered conversations that lasted for years; others remembered a wave, a smile, or simply the familiar sight of him traveling down the street.

Taken together, those memories tell the story of a man who became one of Union City's most recognizable personalities.

To many, he was simply Jogging Joe.

A Familiar Sight for Generations

For decades, Joe could be seen running, walking or riding his bicycle throughout Union City.

His presence became so familiar that several people recalled knowing who he was long before they ever had a conversation with him. Children grew up seeing Joe around town, then watched their own children come to recognize him years later.

Others who moved away remembered returning to Union City and finding that some things had changed while Joe, in his own way, remained reassuringly familiar.

He might be seen at McDonald's, visiting a local business, stopping to speak with someone or heading somewhere on foot or bicycle.

For many residents, seeing Joe was simply part of living in Union City.

One family even had its own name for him: “Sunshine Man,” because he so often seemed to be smiling when they saw him pass.

Everybody Had a Joe Story

Following his death, one thing quickly became apparent:

A remarkable number of people had a story about Joe.

People remembered long conversations and short encounters. They remembered his sense of humor, his unusual observations, his travel stories and his willingness to stop and talk.

One woman recalled Joe pointing toward a rainbow and asking whether she could see it.

When she said she could, Joe replied that he had made it for her, told her to enjoy it and continued on his way.

Another person remembered joking with Joe that a haircut made him look like a member of the Beatles.

Joe responded by singing a Beatles song.

A McDonald's employee remembered taking extra care to make sure Joe received a freshly prepared Filet-O-Fish. Joe later returned with Cadbury Creme Eggs as a thank-you.

Individually, these are small stories. Together, they explain why Joe was remembered so fondly.

Always Willing to Help

Many of the memories shared about Joe had nothing to do with running or bicycling. They were about helping.

People recalled Joe raking leaves, shoveling snow, pulling weeds, mowing yards and lending a hand when someone needed one.

One particularly memorable account came from a family who said Joe helped them move into their Union City home in the 1990s.

Nearly three decades later, when they moved away, Joe was there again to help them move out.

That kind of story appeared repeatedly in different forms: Joe showing up, helping out and expecting very little attention for doing it.

A Life of Adventure

The Joe seen traveling the streets of Union City had also traveled far beyond them.

Friends remembered stories of long-distance bicycle rides, running adventures, hitchhiking trips and journeys across the country.

Some of the stories were so unusual that they became part of Joe's legend.

One involved a bicycle trip home from Florida after anticipated work fell through, leaving Joe with only twenty dollars.

Joe later told friends that unexpected help appeared throughout the journey.

At one stop, a stranger approached him in a McDonald's and gave him twenty dollars after saying he felt compelled by God to help a man who appeared to be traveling alone.

On another occasion, a stranger gave Joe sunscreen after noticing his badly burned nose.

When a dangerous bubble developed in one of his bicycle tires, a pastor stopped and arranged for a bicycle shop in the next town to provide Joe with what he needed.

Joe eventually reached Union City after approximately thirty days on the road.

According to the story he told afterward, he still had twenty dollars when he arrived.

Joe viewed experiences like these as moments when God had unmistakably made Himself known in the circumstances around him.

For those who heard Joe tell his adventures firsthand, the stories themselves became part of knowing him.

Connections Far Beyond Union City

Joe also formed relationships far from Indiana.

His connection with Yolanda and her family in the Philippines was especially important to him.

Memories shared after his passing described Joe taking great pride in Yolanda's daughters, following their education, celebrating their accomplishments and sharing their photographs and stories with friends here at home.

The daughters considered Joe a father figure, and their messages following his death reflected just how significant that relationship had become.

It was another side of Joe that many people who simply saw him around town may never have known.

“Always Have a Good Pair of Shoes”

Among the many Joe Lyons stories is one piece of advice remembered by more than one person:

Always have a good pair of shoes.

For a man who spent so much of his life on his feet, perhaps no advice could have been more appropriate.

It is the kind of simple statement that becomes more meaningful after someone is gone.

More Than a Familiar Face

The response to Joe's death has included suggestions for ways Union City might remember him in the future.

Ideas shared by community members have included a tree, a scholarship, a mural, a street designation and other memorials.

Whatever form those efforts may or may not eventually take, one memorial already exists.

It is found in the stories people are telling.

It is in the children who knew him as Sunshine Man.

It is in the people who remember Joe stopping to help with a yard.

It is in restaurant employees who remember his kindness.

It is in families who remember conversations, favors and unexpected visits.

And it is in generations of Union City residents who can still picture him moving through town.

Joe Lyons was a veteran, runner, bicyclist, traveler, storyteller, helper and friend.

But perhaps the description that fits him best is even simpler:

Joe was a Union City original.

For decades, he was one of those people who helped make our community look and feel like home.

Union City will notice his absence.

And judging by the memories being shared, it will remember him for a very long time.