Coachella Valley Man Remembered Following Tragic Crash

The following obituary was submitted to Patch.

MURRIETA, CA — We are devastated and heartbroken to announce the sudden passing of Joshua Kunkle, whose life was tragically cut short in an automobile accident in White Water, Calif., on May 1, 2021.

Joshua Lyon Kunkle was born to Torrie and Joseph Kunkle on June 19, 1983, in Riverside, Calif. Growing up in Murrieta, Calif., Joshua spent his childhood obsessing over dinosaurs, building elaborate spaceships out of Legos and exploring whatever wilderness he could find. He loved camping, hiking and creating trails near the Santa Rosa Plateau behind the house where he grew up, sometimes heading out into the brush by himself to spend the night with nothing more than a sleeve of crackers, a flashlight and his signature black Dickies jacket.

He continued this love of hiking and nature as an adult, exploring the Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree, and the Whitewater Preserve.

He graduated from Murrieta Valley High School before moving away to attend college, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts at San Francisco State University. He went on to earn his Masters's degree in Library & Information Science from San Jose State University.

Once he received his degree, he officially started his library career as a volunteer at the Temecula Public Library, working his way up to Branch Manager of the Cathedral City Library. He was valued and respected in his role as a librarian and was not only passionate about public libraries but
academic libraries as well — becoming an Adjunct Librarian at College of the Desert for several years while also working in public libraries.

Homebrewing was another great passion of his and he was a very talented craft beer maker, winning several medals and accolades in local, regional, and national competitions. He shared his passion with the community by teaching free classes in soda making and home brewing. He was a beloved member of several local homebrewing clubs and communities, serving as the president of the Coachella Valley Homebrew Club for many years and, more recently, co-hosting the popular BeerDad and Brewed Podcast.

At the time of his passing, Joshua was embarking on the next part of his life: moving up to the Central Coast to be with his fiancée and the love of his life, Roxanna Garcia, so that they could start their next adventure together.

He will always be remembered as a hard-working, intelligent, kind-hearted man, a generous friend, a loving son, grandson and brother, and a devoted partner to his fiancée. He left the world a much better place than he found it.

A Celebration of Life service will be held in Murrieta on Joshua’s birthday, June 19. If you wish to attend, please call 951-704-3948 for information on the time and location. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you make a donation in Joshua’s name to The Wild Lands Conservancy at wildlandsconservancy.org.

Alternatively, you can make a contribution to Joshua’s Memorial Fund in order to assist his family with funeral expenses at gofundme.com/f/joshua-kunkle-memorial-fund.