JOE PASCAL PAGE's Obituary
Joe Pascal Page, D.D.S., passed away August 1, 2009 three days short of his 102nd birthday. Dr. Page practiced dentistry in San Bernardino for over 40 years. As a young practicing dentist in San Bernardino Joe, with Dr. Earl Crane and other local dentists, helped conceive the idea that is now the Dr. Earl R. Crane Children’s Dental Health Center. This was the beginning of Dr. Page’s history of giving to communities in which he lived.
Joe Page was born in his grandparent’s home in Valley View, Texas, on August 4, 1907. Joe’s family moved to San Bernardino when he was four years old for his brother’s health in 1911.
After graduating from San Bernardino High School in 1925, he delayed his dental education for eight years because he was one of the few people who was lucky enough to be employed during the Great Depression. In 1930, as the depression worsened and those around him were losing their jobs, Joe decided that his best course was self-employment. With the help of his father, Forest Page, Joe was able to attend USC Dental School. Joe graduated from USC School of Dentistry in 1939 and began a small practice in the Platt building on 5th and “E” Street. This was the same building where a young 19 year old President Lyndon B. Johnson had been the elevator operator in 1925.
Upon graduation from USC and with World War II approaching, Joe enlisted and was accepted as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the Naval Reserve.
Joe had been dating Dorothy (Dorrie) Elizabeth Park since his senior year in Dental School, but felt too poor to propose marriage with his uncertain income. In those days physicians and dentists were always the last to be paid. Medical and dental insurance did not yet exist.
When Pearl harbor was bombed on December 7, 1941 Joe knew he would be called to active duty. He proposed to Dorrie that night and they were married on December 19, 1941. Joe was placed on active duty in January of 1942 as a Navy dentist assigned to the Marine Corps. He served in the South Pacific with the First Marine Division assigned to the Fifth Marine Regiment. He retired from the Navel Reserve as a Captain.
Joe resumed his practice in San Bernardino after the end of the War and retired after providing 40 years of excellent dentistry.
After retirement Joe stayed very busy doing volunteer work for St. Bernadine’s Hospital. He also built a number of incredible doll houses that were placed under Christmas trees for Santa Claus, Inc.’s Christmas Tree Lane.
Two years after the passing of his wife Dorrie, Joe sold his home in San Bernardino and moved to Torrance, CA to be close to his daughter Leslie and her family. While in Torrance Joe again began his volunteer work helping with computer input for Torrance’s Senior Information Guide at a senior help center called Focal Point. He continued this work until his son-in-law Ed Eby and daughter Leslie Eby retired and they all moved to Nipomo, CA.
Joe continued to volunteer his time this time doing jewelry making for fundraisers all over the California Central Coast. His jewelry became famous among locals. During this period of his volunteer life Joe donated over 250 sets of uniquely beautiful necklaces and earrings to various non-profit organizations from as far north as San Luis Obispo to as far south as Santa Ynez, CA. He helped raise hundreds of dollars for many organizations including the San Luis Mission retrofit program, Alzheimer's decease research, the restoration of the Dana Adobe in Nipomo, the Nipomo/Guadalupe Dunes Center, the Discovery Museum in Santa Maria and Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts in Santa Maria.
Joe was an amazing person who contracted and survived small pox and polio. He did all of his own financial record keeping up until two weeks before his death on an iMac computer (his fifth). He was a kind, responsible and considerate man who will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. He is survived by his son Frederick Page and his wife Claudia; his daughter Leslie and her husband Ed; three grand children, Derek, Brandon and Courtney; four great grandchildren, John and Rachel Eby and Emerson and Matthew Sarre.
A viewing will be held Thursday evening, August 6, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bobbitt Memorial Chapel. Graveside services will be held, Friday, August 7 at 11:00 a.m. at Mt. View Cemetery, 570 E. Highland Avenue.
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