On Thursday, November 26th, 2020, Joeseph Cleator passed away, suddenly, at his home in Palmetto, Florida. He was only 28 years old.

Joey was born on March 2nd, 1992 at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Weighing in at an even nine pounds, it was easy to see that this child was going to be more than a handful. As the baby of the family, Joey quickly adapted and learned not to take any (can I say the S-word?) from anyone. As a young boy, Joey loved professional wrestling and at the age of six, asked to have his head shaved because he believed that Stone Cold Steve Austin was his real dad. When he was eleven years old, Joey took up taekwondo with his older brother and it was a rewarding life-bonding experience for both boys, even after Joey lost in the finals to his big brother at a tournament in 2004. If he had lost to anyone else, Joey would have been even more upset; but he was happy for his big brother.

After graduating high school in Warner Robins, Georgia and moving to Boston, Massachusetts, Joey developed a passion for mixed martial arts, the UFC, and powerlifting. You could not fit both hands around one of his enormous shoulders.

Joey moved to Parrish, Florida and began a career at Publix. He loved his job, most of his co-workers, and many of his customers. He had worked his way up to assistant deli manager shortly before his passing. As only Joey could, he proved that, yes, you can make a living by cutting the cheese.

Joey had many other interests and skills. He loved movies, mostly comedies, but his favorite film was "The Count of Monte Cristo". He loved to eat and was the official family taste-tester/kitchen guinea pig. He thought everything was good, it did not matter what it was, it just needed a little hot sauce. Like his father, Joey enjoyed buying useless "must-have" items from Amazon.com. He loved to cook, although his skills in the kitchen were much better in his head than they were in reality. His parents will miss the monstrous, and truly, very tasty, breakfast dishes he prepared for Mother's Day and Father's Day. They were incredibly good and usually kept his parents full until fall arrived. He did not do anything small.

If Joey had any dance moves, they would be epic. He would break TikTok. To compare his penmanship to a three-year-old would be critical and demeaning to three-year-olds across the globe. He loved a good practical joke, unless it was played on him. Joey was adept at finding unattended phones when family and friends would visit and updating people's Facebook status. The updates almost always had something to do with pooping. He thought it was hysterical.

Joey was a BIG, fun-loving, caring young man with the whole world in front of him. He accomplished a lot in a short amount of time. His family and friends are devastated by his sudden passing. Memories of Joey and his playful ways will fill our broken hearts forever.


Joey was preceded in death by his mother, the late Deborah Jean Vredenburg (Piotrowski), of Warner Robins, GA. He is survived by his father, Michael, and stepmother, Angela Cleator, of Parrish, Florida; his older brother, Anthony Cleator, of Birmingham, Alabama; and his older sisters, Jessica Firestone (Cleator), of Kathleen, Georgia, and Vanessa Cleator, of Perry, Georgia. Joey also leaves behind his nieces and nephews, Jacob, Krisalyn, Joshua, and Kylie as well as many loving friends, family members, and adoring fans.