Joseph Anthony Lizana, Jr.

Tissue donor

Age 64 – Gardena, CA

Donated on 06/17/2014

at Gardena Memorial Hospital

Honored by OneLegacy

Joseph Anthony Lizana, Jr. (Joe) was a selfless caregiver, a great storyteller and a fighter in the face of adversity. After being in a motorcycle accident at age 16, Joe suffered a traumatic brain injury, skull fracture and the loss of hearing in his left ear. Despite the struggle with memory loss due to his injuries, he was able to graduate along with his classmates in 1969. That year was also filled with grief and uncertainty, when his father suffered a cardiac arrest at work and died at the age of 42. Joe worked as a welder for 13 years and as an apartment manager for 20 years until his death. He loved traveling, photography and four wheeling in the desert. Even in his death, he continued helping others, and his bone donation alone helped improve the lives of 65 people.

Joseph’s Story

Joseph Anthony Lizana, Jr. (Joe) had already lived a very eventful life prior to meeting, and after 3 years, marrying his wife on August 4, 2007. Having experienced the death of his mom and his first wife, as well as dealing with health issues since he was 16, Joe made the best out of life. One of the first things people noticed about Joe was his smile, and when someone would engage in conversation with him, he would captivate them with his great storytelling and delight them with laughter.

Joe’s life had not always been an easy one. He was able to achieve many things, even in the face of adversity, and he did it with an amazingly undaunted spirit and faith in God. At age 16, Joe was in a motorcycle accident that caused a traumatic brain injury, skull fracture and the loss of hearing in his left ear. Despite the struggle with memory loss due to his injuries, Joe was able to graduate along with his classmates in 1969. That year was also filled with grief and uncertainty when his father suffered a cardiac arrest at work. As a result, his dad died at the age of 42.

Joe worked as a welder for Todd’s Shipyard in San Pedro, California, for 13 years, until the company closed. In his spare time, he loved four-wheeling in Anza Borrego, traveling with his mom, and photography. He later went on to become an on-site apartment manager for the next 20 years until his death on June 17, 2014. Joe is still missed and remembered dearly by his former tenants and neighbors.

Joe was a selfless caregiver to his mother and later to his first wife, Sheryl, and he took great care of them until both of their deaths. His quiet, gentle spirit would have loved to continue giving, and he was able to do that through tissue donation. Even in his death, Joe continued helping others, and his bone donation alone has helped improve the lives of 65 people.