He was born in Milwaukee on June 10, 1926, to the late Joseph and Marie (nee Pawelka) Schwai, and attended St. Leo's Catholic Grade School and Boy's Tech in Milwaukee for two years.

He moved to Cedar Creek in 1941 and graduated from Slinger High School in 1943.

He was drafted into the U.S. Navy where he served as a cook. He was honorably discharged from the USS Cone in 1946.

On Oct. 27, 1951, Joe married LuAnn Zuern at St. Kilian's Catholic Church.

For 10 years Joe worked for his parents and in 1957 he and LuAnn purchased Schwai's Country Tavern, Store and Hall of Cedar Creek.

Joe and LuAnn managed the tavern for 42 years where Joe made the famous "Schwai's brats" and other German sausages. In the early years he slaughtered the animals. The couple also ran the liquor and beer depot for 20 years.

Joe loved nature and dearly cherished the pond, and had his tree farm for over 36 years.

He enjoyed hunting quail, pheasant, rabbit, ducks, geese, fox, deer and raccoon and trapped muskrats and mink. He fished for all types on many lakes.

All the hunting inspired the wild game feeds, complete with the Schwai's dumplings and red cabbage.

Joe and LuAnn cooked for Gehlfest in 1976 which constituted two nights a week for three weeks and fed 500 a night. Schwai's Catering was then started and is still being managed by Kathey and Tom Schwai.

The couple chartered trips to Nashville, Brewer games (including opening day trips), horseshoe, dart and pool tournaments and the famous Tiddley Winks tournaments. They also sponsored pool, baseball and bowling teams.

Schwai's hosted St. Patrick's Day parties for the Threshold benefit for 19 years and donated over $100,000 during that time. They sold "Green Pig" tickets and afghan raffles at the in-house raffles and gave part of the bar proceeds to The Threshold. They also sold 500 to 600 pounds of home cured corned beef and prepared it the same day.

Joe was a charter member and past president (1984) of the Slinger Allenton Rotary Club, a charter member and member for over 36 years of the town of Polk Planning Commission, a member of the American Legion Post 486 of Jackson and the Zunker-Held VFW Post 3358 of Slinger for over 50 years, West Bend Moose Lodge 1398 member for 49 years and Washington County Tavern League Association for over 50 years.

Survivors include his wife; four children, Michael (Cathy) of West Bend, Patricia (Gene) Puestow of Jackson, Susan (Steven) Giebel of Manitiwoc and Thomas (Kathey) of Cedar Creek; 14 grandchildren; three sisters-in-law, Rose Schwai of West Bend, Peggy (Robert) Stinson of Seattle, Wash. and Donna Gehring of Hartford; two brothers-in-law, Rev. Ted Zuern S.J. of Washington, D.C., and Thomas (Elaine) Zuern of Hartford; nieces; nephews; other relatives and friends.

Preceding him in death were a brother, Robert, and a brother-in-law, James Gehring.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, Dec. 23, at noon at St. Peter's Catholic Church, Slinger.

Father Robert J. Bales and Father Ted Zuern S.J. will officiate, and interment will be in Cedar Creek Cemetery, town of Polk, on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Visitation at the Phillip Funeral Home of West Bend will be Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. with a prayer vigil at 8 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. until the closing of the casket prayers at 11 a.m.

Memorials to St. Peter's Building Fund or The Threshold of West Bend are appreciated.