Joe Thomas Gilbreath

Joe Thomas Gilbreath, 81, entrepreneur, historian, inventor, jokester, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, friend and more, died on June 14 surrounded by his loved ones at Hospice of the Valley - Eckstein Center. Joe was born in Boswell OK to Tom and Gertrude Gilbreath, the oldest of five sons. He moved to Florence AZ in 1946 and attended Florence High School. The family moved to Scottsdale in 1955, where he graduated from Scottsdale High School and went on to attend ASU. Joe loved the Southwest, specifically Arizona, and enjoyed showcasing its landmarks and beauty to both visitors and residents. He was an encyclopedia of Arizona history and a collector of Native American, Western and Mexican art, artifacts and books. He loved music and was especially knowledgeable about big band and early country music. He was always the life of the party and always ready with a joke or a story. He had a varied and successful career spanning numerous industries, including both residential and commercial construction, land development, manufacturing and men’s retail. Joe began his working life with the Del E. Webb Corporation, building the original Sun City community in west Phoenix and other properties in Florida, San Francisco, and Houston. He held top leadership positions with such local companies as Pete King Corporation; Southwest Land Development; Johnson Masonry (Mesa); A & J Glass (building the Herberger Theatre and Renaissance One in downtown Phoenix); and Ponderosa Homes (building the first subdivision on McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale). But he was most adept at running his own businesses, beginning with a partnership (J & G Construction); his own clothing store (Aaron Howard Men’s Apparel in Los Arcos Mall); a chain of stores with his father-in-law (MR Menswear in Maryvale Mall and other locations); and most recently a sole proprietorship and subcontracting company (Metro Construction Maintenance), which he built with the dedication and loyalty of his right hand man, Elios Hernandez. Despite these professional successes, Joe considered his greatest achievement and greatest source of pride to be his legacy of creating a large and loving family. He is survived by five accomplished and admirable sons. Joe had four with his first wife: Mark Gilbreath (Becky), Scottsdale AZ; Greg Gilbreath (Susan), Bend OR; Scot Gilbreath (Laurie), Scottsdale AZ; Todd Gilbreath (Tina), Scottsdale AZ, who collectively created 13 grandchildren [Cody Gilbreath, Cooper Gilbreath, Jennifer Adler, Lindsay Delacerna, Josh Gilbreath, Brianna Beaupre, Megan Cates, Madison Gilbreath, Blair Gilbreath, Wil Gilbreath, Annie Gilbreath, Adam Gilbreath, Charlie Gilbreath]; and six great-grandchildren. Joe is survived by his second wife of 47 years, Loraine Gilbreath (Cave Creek); son Aaron Gilbreath (Rebekah Schiefer), Portland OR; and granddaughter Vivian Gilbreath Schiefer, Portland OR). He is also survived by three of his four loving brothers: Eddie Gilbreath, Great Falls MT; Jerry Gilbreath (Robbie), Phoenix, AZ; and Mike Gilbreath (Jill), Peoria AZ; lots of nieces and nephews; best friends who created lasting memories through laughter and tears, travel adventures, and celebrations; and many friends that formed his community family over the last 20 years at Harold’s Corral in Cave Creek. A celebration of life will be held on June 19, 2021. The service will be held at 11:00 a.m.at Light of the Desert Lutheran Church on Cave Creek Road followed by a 2:00 reception with food and drinks at Harold’s Corral restaurant on Cave Creek Road.