Joseph Daniel Wardle, 38, of Box Elder, went to his heavenly home Sunday, March 8, 2026 in Athens, Greece.  Memorial service will be Saturday, March 28 at 11:00 am, with visitation beginning at 10:00 am, at Koehn Bros. Funeral Home in Armour.  The memorial service will be live streamed at the following link: https://evt.live/joseph-wardle-s-celebration-of-life

Joseph was born May 8, 1987 to Daniel and Teresa (Hazard) Wardle at Vandenberg Air Force base in California.  He was raised in Box Elder, SD and graduated from Douglas High School in 2005. He attended Black Hills State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history.  He continued his education at Boise State University where he received his master’s degree in archeology.  Joe was weeks away from defending his dissertation and completing his Ph.D. in Archaeology from the University of Michigan.  When he wasn’t stateside or working on his dissertation dig in Oaxaca, Mexico, his biggest passion was to travel. As a lover of history, art, and architecture he journeyed all over the world.  At the time of his death on March 8, 2026, Joe was in Athens, Greece finalizing his dissertation preparation.

Grateful for having shared his life are his mother, Teresa; brother, Michael; nephew, Jaxton; Honorary Grandmother and Great Aunt, Joyce; paternal grandmother, Vicki Rich; paternal grandfather, David Wardle; as well as aunts, uncles and cousins along with countless colleagues and friends throughout the world.

He was preceded in death by his father, Daniel (May 20, 2025) and grandparents, Charlie and Karin Hazard.