Joseph Herbert Beaudry of Eastham, a.k.a. “Joedry” and “Papa Joe,” died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on Sept. 18, 2021 after a two-year illness. He was 78.
The son of Herbert and Illa Beaudry, Joseph was born in Yakima, Wash. on June 27, 1943. He grew up, graduated from high school, and worked into his early 20s in Yakima. Why he left and how and why he found his way to Truro remain mysteries, said his daughter Allison.
After he arrived on the Cape, Joseph worked as a bouncer at the Crown & Anchor in Provincetown before purchasing a restaurant called the Cape Ender. A lover of seafood, he changed the name of the place to the Truro Lobster House. He served as owner, manager, and head cook before selling the business in 1985. Today the building houses Seaman’s Bank.
He lived in Orleans at the time, then moved to Eastham and started Splash Painting, a business he ran from 1987 to 2019. It offered indoor and outdoor residential painting services and, according to Allison, he painted almost every house in town. That may be why everyone in Eastham seemed to know him.
Allison described her father as “an all-purpose storyteller.” He had a story for everything, and, Allison said, “You never knew if any of the stories were true or not.” That didn’t matter, it seems, for Joseph became known as “the unofficial mayor of Eastham.” People were used to seeing him drive his paint truck from job to job, and he was well liked.
Visiting a friend in the cardiac ward of Cape Cod Hospital, Joseph met a nurse there, Margaret Cole, and fell in love with her. In the early years of their marriage, when their children were small, Joseph took Margo to the New Orleans Jazz Festival several times. According to Margo, he ate more crawfish than anyone else at the festival. Margo continued her nursing career and is a hospice nurse today.
Joseph enjoyed good margaritas. He expressed the pleasure he took in them with such conviction that the Local Break restaurant in Eastham serves a drink called “The Joe Margarita.”
Joseph was a wonderful father who never missed a child’s sporting event, said Allison.
He also loved fishing, the beach, and Elvis. All who knew and loved him will miss his smile, his laugh, and seeing him driving around town.
He is survived by his wife, Margo; his daughter Jen and husband Jason Quinn of Orleans; his son Mike and partner Grace Finch of Deer Isle, Maine; his daughter Ali and husband Chris Kelley of Eastham; his brother, Steve, and wife Mary of Bend, Ore.; his granddaughter, Ciara; his grandson, Kai; his niece, Kina, and her children; as well as many in-laws.
In lieu of flowers, donations may go to the Cape Cod Healthcare Hospice.
A public memorial is scheduled for Oct. 10, 2021 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Elks Lodge in Eastham.
