Joel William Plinska

Joel William Plinska was born August 26, 1939 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was welcomed home to heaven on August 2, 2025. He was a loving husband of 61 years to the late Rita Plinska, cherished father to Ryann (Kevin) Greve, and beloved Gramps to Aaron and Colin Greve. He is survived by his brothers Wayne Plinska and Kenneth Plinska and sister Julie Rae Stelloh. He is preceded in death by his brothers Dennis Plinska and Douglas Plinska. Joel was treasured by his brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and many friends. 

Joel was the second of six children born to Raymond and Julia Plinska, and grew up on Milwaukee’s north side. A talented athlete, Joel attended Rufus King High School and starred for the Generals basketball team. As a senior, he was the leading scorer in the conference. That year he was named to both the Milwaukee Journal’s and the Milwaukee Sentinel’s All-City Team, averaging 31 points per game. Joel’s scoring was so prolific that he accounted for almost fifty percent of King’s points. 

Upon graduation from Rufus King in 1957, he accepted a full basketball scholarship to Marquette University. His cousins Grant and Russ Wittberger also played for MU, inspiring Joel to follow in their path. At Marquette he played forward, starting in his junior year. Due to a coaching change, Joel subsequently left Marquette before graduating, and joined Allen-Bradley. In 1962, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He served for a term of duty and was even selected to the worldwide All-U.S. Army basketball team in 1964 on the merits of his 40 points per game scoring average.

Joel returned to Marquette in fall of 1964, where he finished his playing career for Marquette’s new coach Al McGuire. On the base of the McGuire statue in Marquette’s Al McGuire Center, Joel’s name is etched alongside all of McGuire’s players. In the spring of 1965, Joel graduated from Marquette with a degree in history and started his career at Pabst in marketing. He found his niche in human resources, where his uncanny ability to connect with people helped propel him to leadership roles at Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Fleet Mortgage Company and The Revere Group. Joel retired in 2013.

In February 1962, while out with his teammates from Allen-Bradley’s company basketball team, he spotted a beautiful blonde and asked her to dance. He married that beautiful blonde, Rita Kieliszewski, on December 29, 1962. The couple later moved to Greendale, where they called home for over 50 years. Joel and Rita prided themselves on creating a beautiful home, inside and outside. He and Rita’s gardening efforts were so admired that their yard was a designated stop on a garden tour of Greendale, an honor Joel held with pride. Joel and Rita enjoyed traveling, having visited Hawaii, Sedona and New Orleans, among other destinations. 

Joel and Rita welcomed the birth of their only child, Ryann, in 1974. Joel delighted in his daughter’s athletic talents and served as her first and favorite coach, showing her the ropes of tennis, softball and swimming. When Ryann later took up volleyball and basketball, Joel was her biggest supporter. He instilled in Ryann what it took to be a dedicated athlete and the importance of hard work and sacrifice in pursuit of one’s goals. He rose at dawn to drive Ryann to suburban Chicago for volleyball tournaments and took stats for her Greendale basketball team, driving home the importance of rebounding and defense to help her team. No one was prouder than Joel when Ryann committed to Northwestern University to play volleyball, and stood by her as she navigated the highs and lows of being a Division I student-athlete. Joel regularly visited Ryann in Chicago, where they would go to Bulls games and enjoy a great steak at the Chicago Chop House. 

Upon returning to Milwaukee, Ryann married her husband Kevin, with Joel and Rita standing side-by-side on the Maui beach with the couple as they took their vows. Two years later, Joel became “Gramps” with the birth of his grandson Aaron. When his daughter and son-in-law were looking for a site on which to build their new home, they chose a lot just over the Greendale border in Franklin to be close to Joel and Rita, who offered to care for their grandsons while their parents worked. They would take the boys to and from school when they got older, with the boys always greeting their Gramps with a smile and big hug. He would take the boys on trips in his convertible to McDonald’s for treats. Aaron and Colin loved their Gramps so much. Joel regularly attended Aaron’s artwork presentations at Islands of Brilliance and Colin’s basketball games in support of his beloved boys. 

Joel remained close with his brothers and sister and their families. Plinska family gatherings were legendary – from the annual family picnic with his cousins from his mother’s side of the family to kids’ birthday parties and holiday celebrations. At each party, Joel was the first to arrive and last to leave, enjoying every minute of being with his family, teasing his siblings, telling stories of their childhood and playing yard games. Joel and Rita hosted many of these family gatherings, and always threw great parties with only the best food and usually, way too much of it. And every young cousin has a story of how Joel would ask them to fetch him a beer if they happened to get up.

Joel’s home was filled with music, courtesy of an expansive record collection. Motown groups, Ray Charles, the Beach Boys, Louis Prima, Sam Cooke, and Elvis Presley were among his favorite musicians. Joel had a great sense of humor, and when something made him laugh, you knew it was really funny. As a teen, he loved Your Show of Shows, co-written by Mel Brooks, whose films Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein later would be watched on repeat. Joel was a big fan of the early years of Saturday Night Live, with John Belushi’s impression of Joe Cocker and Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd’s Czech Brothers being among his favorite sketches that would never fail to make him laugh, even years later.

While there was much laughter and fun, there was also sadness. In 2014, Rita was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Joel remained steadfast in his care for her, taking her on outings and dates before the disease took its full toll. It was, indeed, a long goodbye. After Rita passed away in March 2024, Joel deeply missed and mourned her. Joel had various ailments in his later years that limited his mobility and caused him physical pain. But he never stopped making jokes or asking his loved ones what was going on in their lives with the genuine care and interest he always showed. The Plinska family is grateful to the caregivers at Home Instead and Brighton Hospice for giving Joel the care, dignity and grace he deserved in the last year of his life. And the fact that he died at home as he wanted, peacefully, gracefully and painlessly is a wonderful gift for a dear man we will miss very much.

Joel is with Rita, his beautiful blonde, in heaven, watching over Ryann and their beloved grandsons. He is also reunited with his family and friends. Hopefully he and his brothers are doing a yardwork project together, or he’s talking Marquette basketball with Grant and Russ, or playing a fierce game of Yahtzee with his beloved mother Julia. 

Joel was a one of a kind. He was straightforward, whipsmart and always up for a good time. It’s hard to imagine a world without him. We love you so much, always and forever.

A gathering will be held at Wisconsin Memorial Park, Family Center, 13037 West Capitol Drive, in Brookfield, on Monday, August 11, 2025, 1:00 PM followed by the Celebration of Life at 2:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to Islands of Brilliance Islands of Brilliance: Creative Programs for Autistic Students.