Joseph A. Kanapka, born on December 17, 1945, in Waterbury, Connecticut, to Joseph and Nellie Kanapka, died on August 26, 2024.  Joe is proudly first generation Lithuanian, and it was also his first language until he started school at age 5, learned English, and then taught his younger sister, Mary Ann, before she started school.  He attended public school in Waterbury through 8 ^th grade and then went to high school in Kennebunkport, Maine, at St. Anthony's, run by Lithuanian Franciscan Friars. The Friars were quite strict and Joe was one of a graduating class of 6, but he had fond memories and frequently went back for reunions.  He went on to college at UCONN, first at the branch in Waterbury and then at the main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, where he met his future wife, Carol, at a mixer at his dorm.  After graduation, he started his Masters in Oral Biology at University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.  He came back in December, married Carol on December 30, 1967, and they set off for Winnipeg, stopping on the way for their honeymoon at Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.  The harrowing drive across Canada was hardpacked ice all the way to Winnipeg, and included getting stopped by the police (who wanted to know what a New York car was doing in Canada in winter), and the car breaking down along the way.  Despite that, it was one of Joe and Carol's earliest and most memorable adventures. For the next 3 years, Joe and Carol braved the Canadian cold, making many great friends from many different places.  Joe had gotten a deferment having done ROTC at UCONN, but now it was time to start basic training at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Afterwards, he stayed on as a Chemical Corps instructor and his first son, Joe, was born in Anniston. Joe loved being a Chemical Corps instructor and was very proud of making Captain during his time at Ft. McClellan.  After 3 years there, he decided to go back to school at SUNY Stony Brook for his PhD in Biochemistry/Oral Biology and during that time his second son, Bob, was born. Joe's jobs over the years took the family to many other places, including New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Milan Italy(!), Long Island, Virginia and finally to Florida, where he retired and then moved with Carol to The Villages in 2006.  He enjoyed golf (more so after years of caddying as a teen), learning how to invest in derivatives as a member of the Villages' stock club, listening to opera (and occasionally showcasing his baritone), mushrooming (in order to can enough for one of the family's favorite Lithuanian dishes, grybai) and traveling around the world with the love of his life, Carol.  He is survived by Carol – his wife of 56 years – their son, Joe and wife, Beth, and grandson, Joey, and their son, Bob and wife, Rachael, and granddaughters, Anna, Kate and Ellie, and his sister, Mary Ann Hunt and her husband, Fred, and their daughter, Caitlin.  Memorial mass will be held Monday, November 4, 2024 10:00 AM St. Timothy Catholic Church , Lady Lake, FL.  US Army will render honors following the mass at 1:30 PM Florida National Cemetery , Bushnell, FL as well.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Moffitt Cancer Center .  Arrangements entrusted by BALDWIN BROTHERS Funeral & Cremation Society-Spanish Springs, 352-430-1449.  Sentiments are encouraged at www.baldwincremation.com .