Joe Edward Birkinbine, 67, passed away peacefully, on Tuesday August 11, 2026 surrounded by his family, who absolutely adored him.

For the past four years, Joe privately navigated a stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis, while continuing to lead a full, active life. He didn’t let cancer define him. He was able to continue his aviation career, until early June, when the disease became more aggressive and required a change in treatment.

Joe was born on October 29, 1958 in Madison, WI and grew up in Sun Prairie, WI, along with his three younger siblings. Joe often reminisced of many fun adventures with numerous cousins, and family vacations filled with boating and waterskiing on White Lake and the Wisconsin River. He had fond memories of time spent helping out on the Bergum Farm, in Rio, WI. Joe graduated from Sun Prairie High School in 1977. During his high school years, he became the youngest ski patroller at Devil’s Head Resort. He spent the summer after high school working at the Kettle Moraine Camp for the Hearing Impaired. Later that Fall, he attended the Lifestyle Enrichment Program, in Holden Village, WA, a Lutheran-based environmental and outdoor education center, set in the beautiful and remote North Cascade Mountains. The 12 months he spent there were incredibly special to him, and 47 years later, in August 2025, he returned for a meaningful visit, with his wife, his sister Beth, and her husband. Joe attended Bemidji State University in MN, and graduated in 1982. During his time there, he received his private pilot certificate. Following college, he moved to Colorado, where he spent the next 12 years working as a ski patroller, two years in Crested Butte and the next ten years in Steamboat Springs, where he also started his own aviation school, Steamboat Flight Academy. Over the years, more than 70 pilots received their licenses under Joe’s professional instruction.

During the ski season of 1991, while Joe worked as a ski patroller, he met his wife, Betsy, a ski instructor. One snowy day, he asked for her phone number at the top of Mount Werner, and less than two years later, on October 9, 1993 they were married. They shared many wonderful adventures during their 32 years of marriage, living in Steamboat Springs, CO, but their greatest accomplishment was raising two amazing sons, Grant & Brooks, whom Joe often spoke about with much pride. His love for his family was immeasurable. His love extended onto Grant’s wife, Leah, who was more like a daughter to him, than a daughter-in-law. For all that Joe accomplished in his life, his family was what mattered most.

After spending a few years working in the financial industry, including investments and estate planning, Joe decided to return full-time to his passion of aviation, accepting a position as full captain with Wheels Up, in 2018, where he flew in the King Air 350, the Citation 3, and most recently the Phenom 300, a beautiful twin engine jet, fulfilling his career goal. Along with corporate flying, he also worked with Wright Aviation, focusing on initial and recurrent pilot training in a number of high performance single and twin engine aircraft. He earned numerous ratings during his career, including Sea Plane, Master Flight Instructor, FAA Gold Seal, and Pilot Examiner.

For those who were fortunate enough to know Joe, knew a man who was humble, kind and always put others first. He cared deeply for those around him and had a special gift for making people feel valued and welcome. Even if you only knew him for a few minutes, you felt like you had known him much longer. He loved spending time outdoors, camping, waterskiing, snowmobiling, and simply being with his family and their Golden Retriever, Finley.

Joe is survived by his wife, Betsy, their two sons, Grant (Leah) & Brooks, siblings Beth (Mark) Krupke, Randy (Jenny) Birkinbine, Gina (Daryl) Collins, and numerous nieces, nephews & cousins.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday August 29, 2026 at 10:00am at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Steamboat Springs, CO, immediately followed by a reception to celebrate Joe’s life at Howelsen Hill’s Olympian Hall. The service will be live-streamed on the St. Paul’s website.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either Holden Village or Joe Birkinbine’s Memorial Fund for prostate cancer research at the City of Hope in Phoenix, AZ. Donation links can be found here: joe.birki.io.