Joe attended the Star School in Walden, VT through 8th grade after which he worked on the family farm in East Hardwick delivering milk from their dairy farm, “Aime Bellavance & Sons Dairy.”

In 1950, Joe and his brother Arthur borrowed a truck from their father’s farm and hauled a load of granite cemetery monuments out of Barre, VT to Pittsburgh, PA. This trip sparked the beginning of a new life for Joe inspiring the start of Aime Bellavance & Sons Trucking Company (www.bellavancetrucking.com).

Since then, the company has grown into one of New England’s largest trucking companies with over 100 trucks and over 200 trailers that serve all 48 continental states, Canada, and Mexico.

In 1956 Joe married Lorraine Chouinard on November 10th in Greensboro Bend, VT.

In 1957 Joe and Lorraine moved to Berlin, VT where they started their family with a son born on August 21, 1957 and three additional children following after; daughter on February 16, 1959, second daughter on June 22, 1960 and a second son on March 13, 1962.

Joe would then spend the next 18 years of his life raising his family, growing his business, and becoming a large part of a local New England town, known for it’s Granite Industry. In 1980, Joe began the next phase of his life with the birth of his first grandchild on March 18th followed by an additional 8 grandchildren over the next 9 years.

For the remaining 21 years, Joe would watch his family prosper, his business become a success and his legacy grow. Joe was a member of St. Monica Church, Canadian Club, a 4th degree Knight of the Knights of Columbus, and a life member of the Barre Elks #1535.

From spending his winter months in Florida, his hobbies of collecting milk bottles, restoring bicycles, golfing, and spending weekends at his camp on Greenwood Lake, Joe lived a happy life as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend that we all cherish.