Joseph Moreland Blaine

Joseph Moreland Blaine, born on April 11, 1940 in Pikeville, Kentucky, died on June 5, 2020 in West Bend, Wisconsin.

Joe grew up in Georgetown, Ohio, where fishing, singing at the Methodist church, playing the trumpet, collecting and selling antiques, and driving and rebuilding hot rods were among his passions. He was a zany lover of life, a risk taker, rule breaker, activist, business owner and eventually caregiver. He made friends wherever he went and had the gift of gab. His father once said Joe never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

He attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and served in the Air Force Reserves. Once out of the reserves, he worked as a fireman and earned his private pilot’s license. He and his family moved to Northern Kentucky in the 1970’s, living in Florence and Fort Mitchell before moving to Cincinnati. During this time, he owned several businesses, including an antique store called The General Store in Mount Adams and a medical clinic called Women’s Center in Cincinnati.

Never one to shy away from attention, Joe was known by many as Monkey Joe, as he owned two chimpanzees which he took to family reunions, rented out for parties, drove around in elaborate vehicles and attracted lots of media attention.

In the early 1990’s, he retired and moved to Malibu, California, where he spent his later years working as a caregiver. He moved to Grafton, Wisconsin in 2017 to be close to his daughter and her family. He passed away in 2020 with complications related to COVID-19.

He leaves behind his son Dr. Charles (Kay) Blaine of La Canada, California; daughter Cecile (Seth) Duhnke of Grafton, Wisconsin; grandson Alexander Blaine; granddaughter Grace Duhnke; and ex-wife Phyllis Armstrong. He also leaves his brother David (Susan) Blaine of Middletown, Ohio; Chuck (Tember) Blaine of Fort Thomas, Kentucky; Rebekah Dew of Mayfield, Kentucky; nephews Luke (Sophie) Blaine of London, England; James (Monique) Blaine of Louisville, Kentucky; Steven “Blaine” Warner of Louisville, Kentucky; nieces Julie (Mike) England of Dayton, Ohio; and Janey (Darren) Goude of Lexington, South Carolina; Steve Devary of Benton, Kentucky; Marshall (Becky) Devary of Winchester, Kentucky; Robyn Berryman of San Diego, California; and Matthew Berryman of Chicago.

Memorial services will be held later this year in the Cincinnati area.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to: NAMI, 4301 Wilson Blvd., Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22203; Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., P.O. Box 97166, Washington, DC 20090-7166; or the charity of your choice.