I met Joe Shirshac in the late 1960s when I was going to Sac State and working at Sports Unlimited on Arden Way.
Joe and his wife treated me like family, and I was very fortunate to have them in my life.
He was born in 1922 in Coventry, Michigan, and grew up on a rural 80-acre farm.
In the winters, he trapped rabbits, other small animals, and sold the furs for pocket money.
In World War II, Joe joined the US Navy, working aboard a large ship to keep it all running.
After the war, he did some different work, but finally became a Sacramento City firefighter.
Joe started fly fishing the Klamath River in 1952 and would always take someone with him.
Eventually, in the early 1970s, I was that lucky person, and he took me to the Klamath and Trinity Rivers.
Joe had a Chevy Suburban and a 22-foot travel trailer that we stayed in.
He also painted houses, inside and outside, on his days off as a firefighter.
Joe tied Shad flies for all the sporting goods stores to fund his fishing adventures.
Around 1980, Joe took some of us to the famous Dean River for wild Summer Steelhead in August.
It was Joe, Mack Holloway, Jack Sturdivant, Chris Pasley, and I. We camped on mile 17 for two weeks.
It was one of the best trips of my lifetime.

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