Joseph J. Loibl, age 54 of Farmington Hills, passed away March 14, 2026. He was born on May 7, 1971 in Detroit, to Joseph M. and Suzanne Loibl.

Born with a bilateral cleft lip and palette, Joey was challenged from birth. This resulted in extreme difficulty during feeding. Even after numerous surgeries to correct the abnormalities, he continued to have problems eating throughout his life. 

During his early life, he missed multiple developmental milestones. At the age of one, a neurologist told Joey’s parents that his disability would prevent him from ever walking, talking or developing any cognitive skills. Endless effort and determination led Joey to accomplish things that were never thought possible. His mom, Suzie, was a strong advocate of his abilities throughout his entire schooling and education, and because of this, Joey was able to earn his high school diploma. His enthusiasm continued with his work at New Horizon’s, a sheltered workshop, where he worked in assembly. He did anything and everything to effectively complete his assigned tasks and do his part in contributing to the production. He was particularly proud of earning his pay. He told his nephew that he has a “rich” uncle. 

As an avid sports fan, Joey’s free time was filled with endless games, both as a spectator and a participant. He was a devoted fan of Harrison Hawk’s football, attending both home and away games for decades. This included frequent annual excursions to the state football finals at the Silverdome and later at Ford Field. This continued until Harrison High School was closed in 2019. Their record of 13 state championships still stands. More recently, he was a regular at the University of Detroit Mercy Titans basketball games. He was anticipating seeing them play in the NCAA tournament. This is one of Joey’s favorite times of the year, with an abundance of basketball games every day for several weeks. In 1989, Joey began his involvement with the Special Olympics. He participated in cross-country skiing, softball, soccer, bowling, athletics, floor hockey and basketball. This year, for the first time in more than a decade, his team won at the District tournament and qualified for the State finals competition. He will miss those games.

Time spent with family was especially treasured. Joey always enjoyed the family’s two-week vacation at their cabin on Higgins Lake. He was anxious to swim and go boating on the beautiful lake. His favorite activity was toasting marshmallows and making S’mores by the campfire. Weather permitting, it was a nightly event. He also enjoyed the trips to Gaylord to attend the Alpenfest, as a major excursion during the annual up-north vacation, quizzing his father regarding the concert performers for the Fest.

Joey looked forward to the family’s many trips to Walt Disney World. He enjoyed everything the park had to offer, especially the concerts. He always had to have his fill of Mickey Bars. His favorite character was GOOFY. He had every GOOFY shirt that was offered at WDW and the online Disney store. And when it came time for some pizza, Joey’s first choice was always Cicis. He would choose Cicis over any other dining choice, either on or off property. The family would often eat at Cicis 2 or 3 times during a visit to WDW.

Throughout his adventures, Joey was the embodiment of a living travel log. He was able to recall many details from the trips he took decades in the past, even remembering specific itineraries, flight numbers and aircraft information.

He was outgoing and friendly in nature and offered a genuine interest in others. He was curious about people’s lives and interested in getting to know them. Care and concern were at the forefront of his mind.  He wanted to help where he could, and often he did. Joey’s positive intentions helped countless people to realize how much their happiness meant to him.

Joey was the cherished son of Joseph and the late Suzanne Loibl. Loving brother of the late Michael Loibl and Gary Holbrook. Dear uncle of Justin and Bri’Ana. Nephew to Richard (Carol) Loibl and Nancy O’Connor (Jerry) Dickey and James (Nancy) O’Connor, and cousin to Tim, David, Cathy, Sarah Lee, Katie Whitfield, Bethany Barcenas, Lauren Nisley, Tory Smith, and the late Matthew Loibl.

A gathering for Joey will be held on Friday, March 27th, at 9:30 a.m., until the time of his Funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m., at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 23815 Power Rd., Farmington.

Memorial donations in Joey’s honor are appreciated to Team Farmington Special Olympics. Please make contributions payable to: Special Olympics, 1150 Scott Lake Rd – Suite 3A, Waterford Twp, MI 48328 with “For Team Farmington Special Olympics” in the check’s memo line.