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JOSEPH ARTHUR MULDOON, JR
August 24, 1931 - March 16, 2008
This morning we lost our father, husband and best friend, "Big Joe"
Muldoon. He passed away in his new home with his children and his
loving wife, Alyse by his side. As the sun rose on Palm Sunday, the
former altar boy was in his favorite place - on top of the hill on
Gone Away Farm, looking out at the back 50, the horses and the Blue
Ridge Mountains. After a long battle with cancer, he finally said
good bye but he was funny to the end and he never lost his fighting
Irish spirit.
Big Joe was big not only in size, but also in his larger than life
personality, his immeasurable heart and his unlimited generosity. He
touched the lives of so many – and so many of us benefited from a
"leg up" from Big Joe. He made us all laugh, he inspired, he
encouraged, he motivated and he made things happen. He was
everyone's favorite coach and the best at assembling and inspiring a
winning team – whether it be a horse and rider, polo, business, law
or your first little league win. He would send you in with a pat on
the back and say, "just have a good time!"
He was always a leader that was willing to go places that no one
else had dared to go. He established the first private law firm
specializing in thrift regulation. He trained the first three-year
old pony to win a national championship over fences at Madison
Square Garden. He entered and trained a horse in the first Grand
Prix in the United States, ridden by the first woman to ever ride in
a US Grand Prix. He organized the first American polo games above 30
goals since the 1930s. He was the first to assemble an entirely
family team to win a national tournament. When he retired from his
law practice, he returned to his first love – training hunters and
jumpers.
Big Joe was a true horseman. He was a consummate trainer, foxhunter,
show rider, polo player and point to point competitor. He was always
more focused on the horse than the rider. In fact, he could recite
the background in great detail on every horse he ever owned or
trained – hundreds of horses spanning over 60 years of a passionate
love of the animal and sport.
We have all been an audience to the world's best story teller. His
wit was unmatched and we will all miss the "Big Joeisms" that
defined his unique personality. No matter what your association with
our father, we will all share in the void created by his absence.
Please join us in celebrating his life in the weeks to come.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to be sent to
the Polo Training Foundation at: U.S. Polo Association, 4037
Ironworks Parkway, Suite 110, Lexington, KY 40511
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