{"id":33078,"date":"2026-04-23T15:03:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T21:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/?post_type=case&p=33078"},"modified":"2026-04-29T15:28:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T21:28:07","slug":"joseph-p-joe-sternhagen-age-61","status":"publish","type":"case","link":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/obituaries\/joseph-p-joe-sternhagen-age-61\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph P. ‘Joe’ Sternhagen, age 61 of Helena"},"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":{"0":"post-33078","1":"case","2":"type-case","3":"status-publish","5":"entry","6":"has-post-thumbnail"},"acf":[],"fields":{"first_name":"Joseph","middle_name":"P.","last_name":"Sternhagen","date_born":"11\/16\/1964","date_died":"01\/04\/2026","age":"61","city":"Helena","state":"Montana","full_obituary_text":"

Joseph Patrick Sternhagen\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Helena, MT 1.4.2026<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe Sternhagen left this world after 61 wonderful and engaging years. He was a passionate father, a fun-loving son, a loyal friend, and a faithful Catholic.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was born November 16, 1964 in Glasgow, MT to parents William and Joyce Sternhagen. As a child, Joe quickly developed a strong work ethic, and excelled at outdoor activities such as hunting and fishing. He also found success as an athlete in football, tennis, and ski racing.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After graduating from Helena High School in 1983, Joe attended Butte Tech as a receiver on the football team. He transferred to Montana State University to continue playing football while pursuing a masters degree in law. He practiced law with his father Bill for several years, and later became an Administrative Law Judge for the State of Montana, and resided in similar positions for over 20 years. The latter 7 years of Joe\u2019s career saw him transition to life on the road as a semi truck driver for Crete Carrier Corporation. He travelled the U.S. every week, and enjoyed discussing the places he saw around the country.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe was a loving father of two\u2014 Morgan and Colter Sternhagen. He clocked in as a humorous brother to siblings William, Ann, and Maggie, and will be remembered as a good-hearted friend to many. He embodied hard work, dedication, and was always going to make you laugh. He continued pursuing hobbies throughout his life, and although we wish we had more time with him, the lessons and values that Joe passed down to his family are invaluable. Joe had a deep love for his family and friends, and those who knew him, regularly felt his charm and affection.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A funeral service for Joe Sternhagen will be held on May 16th at Resurrection Cemetery in Helena, MT at 11am. Family and close friends are invited to come and pay their respects. A reception at Uncommon Ground Reality will follow the burial service starting around 1p, where photographs and special items will be honored in Joe\u2019s memory.\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Rest in peace, dear father. Your memory will live on in our hearts forever. May God be with you, until we meet again.<\/strong><\/p>\n","photo":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Joe-Sternhagen.jpg","youtube_video_url":"","service_status":"public","event_title1":"Burial","event_date1":"2026-05-16","start_time1":"11:00am","end_time1":"","location1":"Resurrection Cemetery","address1":"3685 N Montana Ave.","city1":"Helena","state1":"Montana","zipcode1":"59602","event_title2":"","event_date2":"","start_time2":"","end_time2":"","location2":"","address2":"","city2":"","state2":"","zipcode2":"","event_title3":"","event_date3":"","start_time3":"","end_time3":"","location3":"","address3":"","city3":"","state3":"","zipcode3":"","event_title4":"","event_date4":"","start_time4":"","end_time4":"","location4":"","address4":"","city4":"","state4":"","zipcode4":"","event_title5":"","event_date5":"","start_time5":"","end_time5":"","location5":"","address5":"","city5":"","state5":"","zipcode5":"","event_title6":"","event_date":"","start_time6":"","end_time6":"","location6":"","address6":"","city6":"","state6":"","zipcode6":"","event_title7":"","event_date7":"","start_time7":"","end_time7":"","location7":"","address7":"","city7":"","state7":"","zipcode7":"","event_title8":"","event_date8":"","start_time8":"","end_time8":"","location8":"","address8":"","city8":"","state8":"","zipcode8":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case\/33078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/case"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helenafuneralhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}