Allen Joseph “Joe” Piroutek

Allen Joseph “Joe” Piroutek, 85, passed away on Holy Thursday, April 6, 2023, at his home in Anacortes, Washington, after a short battle with cancer. 

Joe, the oldest of eight, was born to Allen and Kathryn Piroutek, on May 27, 1937. He was one of the Belvidere kids, Joe, Gary, Mary Ann, Kay, and Jack, as they were all born while his dad, Allen, worked in the Belvidere bank. In 1945 they moved to Milesville, and Lee, Phyllis, and Dan were added to the family. The entire family learned how to grow crops and cattle.

Joe attended the Milesville Country School, St. Martin’s Academy in Sturgis, and graduated in 1955 from Philip High School where he participated in football, basketball and track. Joe started working road construction, mostly on building SD Hwy 34. In 1959, he worked for Union Carbide in California, until he was drafted into the Army in 1960. After basic training at Ft. Ord in California, he spent the rest of his time at Ft. Carson, Colorado.

With his sister, Mary Ann, and her husband living in California, Joe headed southwest to find his next job, driving a delivery truck for the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Los Angeles.  Little did he know that the soda pops he occasionally drank as a child, foretold of his future with Coca-Cola. Year by year he moved into management with Coca-Cola, and this became his career job. A special moment was the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Joe was really busy as Coca-Cola was a major sponsor. 

Joe met Helen Heno in 1962 at a Catholic Church mixer in Culver City, California.  They were married on June 6, 1964 in Wayzata, Minnesota.  They resided in the Southern California area where they had two daughters, Angela (1966) and Katie (1975).

Joe was a huge sports fan and thoroughly enjoyed following his daughters and grandchildren in all their sports and activities.  He was not only just a proud dad and grandpa, but also participated as a coach, referee and athletic board member. He rarely missed an event and you would always find him front and center, disputing bad calls and cheering the loudest for his kids. 

Joe and Helen relocated from Southern California to Lake of the Ozarks in 2001 and enjoyed living on the lake in Missouri and hosting many family and friends for 14 years. In 2015, they moved to Anacortes, Washington to be closer their daughter Katie and her family.

In their retirement, Joe and Helen traveled the world extensively, experiencing many different cultures, and making new friends. They made it to all 50 states and to all the continents, except for Antarctica.  Their favorite annual trip was to Cabo San Lucas every December.

South Dakota always called to Joe.  He was able to spend 4-6 weeks each spring in the Philip/Milesville area from the early 2000’s, with his last visit being in 2017.  He would drive tractors, visit old neighbors and high school friends, check cows that were calving, and drive the countryside with his brother, Dan, going to bull sales. These were special times for Joe.

Members of Joe’s family are his wife, Helen, and daughters, Angela (Noel) Grant and their boys, Connor, Shayne, Spencer, and Griffin, Orange County, California and Katie (Jason) Zaharris and their children, Jayden, Cole, and Jordan, Anacortes, Washington. His siblings are Gary Piroutek, Rapid City, South Dakota, Mary Ann George, Carlsbad, California, Kay Turvey, LeSueur, Minnesota, Phyllis (Rod) Hinman, Pinehurst, North Carolina, and Dan (Gayla) Piroutek, Milesville, South Dakota.  Numerous nieces and nephews fondly remember their Uncle Joe.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Jack Piroutek on Mar. 17, 1976, and Lee Piroutek on Aug. 29, 1995.

Cards may be sent to Helen Piroutek at 4610 Anaco Beach Rd, Anacortes, Washington 98221.

A memorial Mass will be held in Philip this summer with internment at the Black Hills National Cemetery.