Joey Elbert

Joey Elbert was born with a ball in his hand. He was born as Joel Robert Elbert on March 15, 1960 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the son of Edward and Jean (Hefti) Elbert. Joey lived in Luverne Iowa in his primary school years, then moved to Spencer in his junior high and high school years. He graduated from Spencer High School in 1979 and continued his education in the broadcast program at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge. On October 17, 1981, Joey was united in marriage to Jamie Paulsen at the Hope Reformed Church in Spencer, Iowa. The couple moved to Spirit Lake in 1986 and were blessed with two children, Alyssa and Casey. After college, Joey worked as a radio broadcaster at KICD radio for a couple of years. He then begrudgingly sold office equipment for a short time. Then Paul Hedberg hired Joey as a night time disc jockey on KUOO-FM. He would prove his worth and became the morning drive DJ, Sports Director, and Program Director, giving birth to the Koch and Elbert Show, and the U Morning Zoo. He took a break from radio to broaden his horizons and became a smiling face for three years working for his long time friend, Jeff Thee, at Lakes Television. But he missed his first love of live radio and returned to work at KUOO where he worked until October, 2009. He will always be remembered for his enthusiasm and dedication to the community, coaches and the kids. The lives Joey impacted cannot be counted, and we are all better people for knowing him. He was a member of the Good News Community Church in Okoboji. His faith, family and friends were very important to him. Joey cherished playing golf with his son and friends, and was a big fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, New York Yankees, and Green Bay Packers. Joey passed away February 22, 2010 in Tijuana, Mexico after battling cancer for 11 months. He was forty-nine years of age. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Jamie; children, Alyssa and Casey; mother, Jean Elbert of Spencer; sister, Lisa Pederson of Terril, Iowa; Jamie's parents, Curtis and Connie Paulsen of Spencer; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Carma and Bryce Moran and their children, Tessa and Alex Moran of Panama City Beach, Florida. Joey was preceded in death by his father, Edward Elbert and many beloved relatives and friends.