Joseph (Joey) Bourdo Borane
SCOTTSDALE – Joseph (Joey) Bourdo Borane, just 49 years old, passed away unexpectedly on October 6, 2021, in Scottsdale, Arizona. His family and friends are devastated to lose such a force for love, laughter and light in the world.
Joey was born on January 24th,1972 to his loving parents Ray Borane and Mary Lu Bourdo Pazell, in Douglas, Arizona. From his earliest years, Joey was a curious, insatiable student of life. When he was very young, he loved nothing more than to disassemble toys and electronics in the hopes of learning how they worked. This was fun and educational for Joey but not so much for everyone else, as the items he dismantled usually belonged to others!
Throughout his life, Joey’s personality was big, and he loved entertaining others. So, it was no surprise that as a teen in Douglas he created his “Jammin’ Joey” disc jockey persona. His passion for being a DJ came with him when he moved north to Phoenix. A perfect match with his entrepreneurial spirit, he became popular playing at weddings and parties for friends and strangers alike. When he wasn’t playing music, Joey could be found skating for hours on end at Skate World in Chandler, Arizona. It was here that he created many of his lifelong friendships.
In 1989, Joey attended Arizona State University as an early honors student where he earned his first degree, in Electrical Engineering. Soon after Joey earned his Master of Marketing degree from the University of Phoenix. Education remained one of Joey’s great passions throughout his life, and he continued to thrive as both student and professor, teaching his mastery of marketing as an adjunct professor at Grand Canyon University. Joey was also nearing the completion of his doctorate degree in Marketing at Grand Canyon University.
Joey was beloved by friends, family, and colleagues around the world for his breadth of knowledge, his infectious laughter, his many talents, and his deep well of kindness for others. One example of this kindness was his great love for supporting childrens’ charities, especially the Arizona Child Crisis Center, where he spent decades helping children through leadership, volunteer programs, and donations. During the COVID pandemic, Joey was proud to teach children around the world to read and learn sign language via online video chat.
Among Joey’s most cherished achievements was being appointed to the Arizona Exhibition & State Fair board by former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. Joey served on the State Fair board between 2003 and 2014 and rotated in as Chairman for three of these years. An ambitious visionary, Joey reinvigorated the annual event by contracting with some of the biggest names in music at the time, including Kelly Clarkson and Bob Dylan. A tireless ambassador of the Arizona State Fair, he adored sharing access to the celebrities that would play the fair, often inviting friends and family backstage to meet the artists for photo opportunities.
Joey was also a marketing and business wizard. His professional success first bloomed in the early 1990’s as a young man just out of college, where, as Director of Marketing, he was part of the small team that built the medical software company Medisoft into a multimillion-dollar powerhouse. When Medisoft was sold to a much larger firm, Joey moved on and quickly built his own successful website design and marketing agency Design44. Design44 quickly grew into an agency with over 20 employees, and in its time served businesses, state organizations and nonprofits. It, too, would eventually merge with another, larger agency, after which Joey would embark on his next venture, Bailey Marketing.
By keeping Bailey Marketing virtual, Joey could work from anywhere, which enabled him to pursue another great passion: travel. Be it for business or pleasure, Joey often said that he loved nothing more than being in his favorite seat, 2B, on any plane, going anywhere. He was an elite “Million Miler” on both United Airlines and Delta Airlines. Growing up on the border of Arizona and Mexico Joey learned and loved the Spanish language and culture. This was most apparent when Joey traveled throughout Central America, South America, and Spain. Some of his favorite trips were traveling with his father through Spain. Joey loved flying long flights to Europe and Asia and would often take trips of just two or three days anywhere in the world, where the plane ride was the whole point of the journey. It was common to call Joey and find him in an airport on the other side of the world. Joey also loved sharing the perks of his status, going the extra mile to do whatever he could to secure first class and business class upgrades for friends, or advise of better flight schedules with newer planes. Joey would also ask you for your itinerary, and occasionally buy a ticket on the same flight to join your journey unannounced for the laughs along the way.
Joey was also a certified Master SCUBA diver instructor, which enabled him to join three passions: teaching, diving, and travel, with his close friends. He even saved the life of a friend who lost her nerve on her very first post-certification scuba dive, having a panic attack deep in the Cayman Islands. His calm but swift action not only saved her life, but she remains a passionate diver to this day thanks to his reassurance and guidance. As a huge Disney fan, one of Joey’s favorite trips was diving inside the Big Tank at Epcot Center where you become part of the attraction as a scuba diver. Joey must have dived this tank twenty times, but instead of enjoying the incredible variety of sea life on offer, he would spend his hour under water against one of the many windows entertaining children through the glass.
Joey is greatly missed by everyone who knew and loved him. His love and laughter will be missed for decades to come. Joey is survived by his father Ray Borane, mother Mary Lu Bourdo Pazell, younger brother Michael Borane, uncle Joe (Rona) Borane, aunt Jacqueline Borane Agers, aunt Brenda Franko and many loving cousins.
In lieu of a funeral, and to honor Joey’s wishes, family and friends will be invited to a Celebration of Life event to share a few of the many stories that we have with him and remember all the laughter and joy he brought to so many. As Joey was a lifelong supporter of Child Crisis Arizona, if you are so moved, please consider a charitable donation in his memory.