Blade, Joe 85, of Minneapolis, award-winning StarTribune investigative reporter, world traveler, avid reader, opera buff and football fan, died peacefully Nov. 23, 2019 at N.C. Little Hospice in Edina. A celebration of Joe's remarkable life will be held Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Cremation Society of Minnesota Edina Chapel, 7110 France Ave. S., Edina, 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. with music, reminiscences and a finger-food buffet. Joe is survived by his chosen family: Ann L. Burckhardt of Edina, his loving significant other for 47 years and longtime Taste writer for the StarTribune, and her daughter, Barbara of Burnsville, to whom he was a second father. Also survived by brothers Bill of St. Louis and Richard of Colorado Springs; niece Lynn of St. Louis; nephew Mark (Amy Goodman) and Mark's children Ben and Sadie, all of Chicago; plus a host of colleagues and friends. Preceded in death by parents and sister-in-law Louise Blade. Joseph Carl Blade was born April 13, 1934, to Oscar and Helen (Lutz) Blade in Bartlesville, OK. Joe took an early interest in journalism, editing his high school paper and working as a sports stringer for the Bartlesville Daily Record. Graduating valedictorian, he won a full scholarship to the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Evanston, where thanks to summer school he graduated in four years with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism, both summa cum laude. Soon drafted into the Army, he served in Vicenza, Italy. Taking an overseas separation, he hitchhiked and cycled around Europe and North Africa for a year. Next came two years as a reporter: Blade of the Toledo (Ohio) Blade. Wanting to continue traveling, Joe signed on as a diplomatic courier with the U.S. State Department's courier service. From his base in Frankfurt, Germany, he spent the next five years traveling Europe, the Middle East and Africa escorting pouches of diplomatic documents. After leaving the State Department, he stayed in Europe for a year, perfecting his French at the Alliance Francaise, and earning a certificate in European history from the famed Sorbonne in Paris, living in the attic of a French family. Upon returning to the U.S., he accepted a job as a reporter with the Minneapolis Star in 1966. After covering St. Paul and the Capital, Joe found his forte in the business section. Acting on tips from readers, he carried out investigations which ultimately sent several white-collar criminals to jail. In 1975 his extensive reporting on corruption at the state's largest privately-owned nursing home a case known as "the Minnesota Watergate" won praise and awards, resulted in five convictions, and prompted the Minnesota legislature to pass a dozen bills greatly increasing nursing home regulation. His meticulous research and compelling writing brought him a number of industry awards including the prestigious Tuck Award for a series on job satisfaction. He was also one of four journalists chosen to take a condensed MBA at Carnegie-Mellon in Pittsburgh, a course he made full use of in his later business reporting. He retired from the newsroom of the StarTribune in 1990. Joe loved to travel. He lived in Europe for seven years, took many trips with Ann, and traveled to a total of 90 countries. He loved good food. He cooked, enjoyed food everywhere, was a restaurant critic for the Star, and loved dinner parties at Ann's with newspaper colleagues. He loved classical music, particularly opera, and was a long-time season ticket holder to the Minnesota Orchestra and Minnesota Opera. He so appreciated the vibrant Twin Cities theater and music scenes. He loved going to the Guthrie and other theater, going to the opera, symphony, and Metropolitan Opera Live in HD with Ann, and going to plays and musicals with Ann and Barb. He also loved reading, especially history, doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku, sampling new restaurants, going to movies, and watching lots and lots of football. A life-long non-smoker, Joe was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2001, and was found to be at stage four in 2005. Thanks to the excellent skill and care of his team at HealthPartners, especially oncologist Dan Schneider, he became their "wonder patient" living well with metastatic disease for 14 years. This fall, Joe's cancer began advancing more rapidly. He started in-home hospice at Ann's, then moved to inpatient hospice at N.C. Little. Joe's family is so grateful for the wonderful care and kindness of his HealthPartners in-home hospice team and the entire staff at N.C. Little who provided Joe with such gentle loving care in his last days. Memorials preferred to N.C. Little Hospice, 7019 Lynmar Lane, Edina, MN 55435.

Published on December 8, 2019