After he questioned Barack Obama during a campaign stop, over the candidate's small business tax policy, Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher shot to fame in the 2008 presidential election. Wurzelbacher, who became known as "Joe the Plumber" after garnering national media attention for confronting then-presidential candidate Barack Obama on the 2008 campaign trail, died Sunday, his wife, confirmed. He was 49 years old.
Wurzelbacher had announced in July that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. On Monday, his wife Katie wrote in a statement –
"Our hearts are broken. We lost a beloved husband, father, son, brother and friend. He made an impact on so many lives,"
When I met Joe he was already known by everyone else as ‘Joe the Plumber’ but he wrote something to me that stood out and showed me who he truly was: ‘just Joe,’" … "He was an average, honorable man trying to do great things for the country he loved so deeply after being thrust into the public eye for asking a question.""My heart goes out to everyone whose lives are impacted by cancer. There are so many ups and downs but we tried to find joy in every day. He fought long and hard, but is now free from pain, “I don’t think of him as losing his battle. Because he knew Jesus, his battle was won."
"Joe’s last wish was to get us back by my family. The first night here, he gave me a big smile and said ‘we made it,’"… "To everyone who has and continues to support us, and there are so many, Thank You! You helped bring Joe peace and for that I will always be grateful."
-Katie Wurzelbacher
As of Monday, a fundraiser set up months ago, on the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo, to support Wurzelbacher's family amid his battle with cancer has raised $135,234, He is survived by his wife and four children.
“It is more difficult to be an honorable man for a week than to be a hero for fifteen minutes”.
-Jules Renard