Joseph S. Luna Jr.

Joseph (Joe) Luna Jr. or JoJo as he was affectionately known by family and friends, was born April 1st a fool on the hill , 1956, in Denver, CO to his parents Orlinda (Linda Martinez) and Joseph (Joe) Luna Sr. He was the youngest of two, with his sister Patricia (Pat).
Joe graduated in 1974 from Central Catholic High School in Denver. He played football and baseball throughout his younger years and was a massive sports fan his entire life. He shared fondly the memories of times he spent listening to the Cubs games with his father. Although his favorites were the Mile High home teams – he was so proud to be a fan of our state’s teams from High School to Professional.
In 1982, Joe married Susan Young, and from that union had three daughters – Valeri, Vanessa, and Veronica. He was the best “girl dad” and would perform magic at their school or birthday parties (the magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away) or would bring in food to their class from the Luna’s family restaurant.

Speaking of the Luna family, besides working as a cook at the restaurant, Joe also performed there as an Elvis impersonator. The Luna family parties during that time are that of legend and still regarded amongst the family as the best of times.
Joe worked many jobs, but maybe none more fulfilling than his time at Spirit Halloween. He loved Halloween and horror, and he annually turned his house into an elaborately spooky attraction for the children of Aurora. He worked hard all year long on next year’s decorations, but his graveyard of handmade “headstones” were always the main attraction. He carefully crafted his mostly authentic, or purposely punny epitaphs like “Your dog does bite”, “I couldn’t stop coughing so they put me in this coffin”, or one straight from Boot Hill “Here lies Lester Moore four slugs from a 44 no Les no more”. He absolutely loved talking with trick-or-treaters and their parents on Halloween night. The joy his decorations brought to everyone meant the world to him.

Joe shared that love of Halloween with his daughters, and even into their adulthood he would spend many Halloween nights with them and would attend his eldest Valeri’s annual Halloween parties – reprising his roles of Elvis or the gorilla man.
Joe had a deep love for music, especially, of course, Elvis – but also the Beatles. He was a Beatles superfan and avid collector of their music in all formats, and their memorabilia. In 2019, he was surprised by his daughters with tickets for all of them to attend the Colorado Rockies Beatles Tribute game – combining three of his favorite things, his daughters, hometown baseball, and the Beatles, it was a highlight for him.
So many remember him fondly as the one that introduced them to the music of the Beatles, and have shared it’s because of him they grew up with a well-rounded appreciation for rock music.

Being born on April Fools Day, (you say it’s your birthday!) it’s no surprise that Joe loved to make people laugh. He enjoyed telling jokes, and was an exceptionally gifted magician, studied in the art of slight of hand and prop magic. He would go out of his way to make someone laugh or smile – he had a genuinely loveable, jovial, and carefree spirit that was often larger than life.
On April 1, 2025, his 69th Birthday, our beloved father, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend JoJo, was involved in an accident at his home in Aurora. With his immediate family at his side, and listening to the Beatles, (and his daughters fighting over their favorite Beatles songs) he was given last rites and passed peacefully.

When asked about his remembrance, Joe shared that he wanted “a big party with the Beatles and Elvis”. While that’s a tall order, we intend to do our best to honor that wish. Details for Joe’s celebration of life will be shared soon.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” - John Lennon