Joel M. "Fish" Ladwig age 57 passed away unexpectedly on Monday, April 14, 2014 at his home. He was born on September 27, 1956 in Columbus to Clifford and Denise (Schroeder) Ladwig. Joel was a 1974 graduate of Fall River High School and a graduate of MATC-Madison. He was married to Kathy Harvey on May 31, 1980 at St. Michael Catholic Church in Beaver Dam. Joel was employed at Apache Stainless Steel in Beaver Dam from 1976 until 1986. He was a welding instructor at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution in Fox Lake for over 20 years. He was a member of the Fall River Rod & Gun Club and loved his job as the Tuesday night chef. Fish was the life of the party and had a memory like an elephant especially when it came to remembering a funny story. He will be greatly missed by his family. Survivors include his son, Andrew of Columbus and grandson, Ashton; his daughter, Eileen "Elly" Ladwig and grandsons, Kingston and Kyler of Texas; mother, Denise Ladwig of Columbus; four brothers, Tom (Jill) Ladwig of Fall River, Robert (Julie) Ladwig of Seattle WA, Kevin (Jill) of Sheboygan Falls and Christopher of Sheboygan; three sisters, Sharon (Stephen) Deminsky of Sun Prairie, Mary (Tom) McKay of Fall River and Elizabeth Marshall of Lancaster; many nieces, nephews and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Clifford and his grandparents. A memorial service was held at 2:00 P.M. on Monday, April 21, 2014 at FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH, Columbus. Rev. Robert V. Moberg officiated. Visitation followed from 3:00 P.M. until 6:00 P.M. at the church. The family wishes to extend a sincere thank you to Dr. Sam Poser for his care that went above and beyond. If the Lord doesn't have a nickname, "Fish" will give Him one.