Joseph Linver

Age 95, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 8, 2013. Joe was born in Detroit, MI in 1918 to parents Harry and Ida Linver. He grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where he was graduated from the University of Toledo in 1939. At TU, he was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, played intramural sports, and was a sports editor of the newspaper. He then served in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1945, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Senior Grade, serving first in public relations as speechwriter for the Navy admirals in Chicago, and then with the Pacific fleet off Okinawa, Japan. In 1942, he met Betty Levine in Kansas City, and married her in 1943. After the war ended, he and Betty moved back to Toledo, where Joe joined his father at the Linver-Kripke Division of Wabash Scrap Materials Company, remaining as president until 1970. During his tenure there, he developed an innovative container system for separating and safely transporting surplus materials. Joe then launched a second career in developing commercial real estate properties, concentrating on small shopping centers and restaurants. In 1986, Joe and Betty moved to Albuquerque, where he continued his involvement in real estate development. While in Toledo, he was involved in various community activities, including expansion of the Jewish Community Center. He was then and continued to be a strong advocate for the University of Toledo Alumni Association, even after his move to Albuquerque. All his life, he was an enthusiastic naturalist, a voracious reader, and a passionate patron of the arts. He loved jazz and classical music and Yiddish and Broadway Theater, as well as all the great artists of the 20th century. He himself developed considerable skill as an artist in his later years. He was an avid sports fan and inveterate golfer and fly fisherman, especially enjoying the quality waters of the San Juan River. As much as Joe embraced life, he loved his family even more. He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Betty; son, Dr. Michael Linver and his wife Mina Jo of Albuquerque, son, Preston Linver and his wife Debbi of Seminole Florida, daughter, Janet Anderson and her husband Sven of Detroit, and daughter, Rochelle Davidson of Kansas City; as well as nine grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his name to Congregation B'nai Israel, 4401 Indian School Rd. N.E. Albuquerque, NM, New Mexico Museum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Rd N.W. Albuquerque, NM 87104, and/or the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, 2000 Mountain Rd. N.W. Albuquerque, NM 87104. Graveside services will be Monday, March 11, 2013, 12:00 p.m. in Fairview Memorial Park Cemetery.