Former Huntsville Times editor wrote his own obituary
Updated Dec 31, 2020;
Posted Dec 31, 2020 Huntsville Times editor Joe Distelheim, center, is interviewed in 1997 by C-SPAN S Deborah Lamb. File photoHVT
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By Joe Distelheim
Editor’s note: Ever the wordsmith, former Huntsville Times Editor Joe Distelheim wrote his own obituary while battling lymphoma. He died Wednesday.
Joe Distelheim, a retired newspaperman, died December 30, 2020, wondering how he’s going to get his news from now on. He was 78, a 15-year resident of Hilton Head Island.
Born in Chicago, he was a journalism alumnus of Northern Illinois University. He did graduate work at the University of Delaware and spent a year as a Professional Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. Also furthering his education, he survived the Battle of Parris Island, vowing never again to find himself anywhere near the place. Six years later, a grateful nation awarded an honorable discharge to Sgt. Distelhei