No matter what the day brought, good or bad, Joel Konze always made each day the best day ever. When asked how his day was going, Joel would always respond, “best day ever.”Joel passed away unexpectedly as a result of a car accident on October 18, 2013. He graduated from Sparta (Wisconsin) High School in 1978, and worked for the school district beginning in 1986, starting as a custodian and a bus driver, and eventually becoming Buildings and Grounds Supervisor. Joel was also a constant supporter of the Sparta wrestling program, and helped coach hundreds of Spartan wrestlers for the middle school program.In addition, Joel took up running in his 40’s, and completed his 20th marathon the week before his untimely passing. A few weeks after Joel’s passing, we organized a 10K run in his honor. It quickly blossomed into a full-scale event with over 200 “Best Day Ever” t-shirts sold, and the planning for a bigger and better event each year is underway.
