Belo ved husband, brother , father, stepfather, grandfather, step grandfather and u ncle, Wesley Joseph Cease died on Sunday, September 23, 2018 after courageously fighting cancer for  eighteen years. He was born in San Mateo, CA on December 8, 1932 and spent his early years i n nort hern Cal i fo rnia. He was a lifelong Christian, accepting Jesus as his Savior at a very young age.

Joseph w as a gifted v i olinist and conductor who began violin lessons at the age of eight.  This introduction led to a l i fetime love of the vio lin . He became a college professor a fte r earning his Master and PHD Degrees in Music Performance from the University of Southern Califo rn ia. Joseph spent six years in Europe t each i ng and performing. He had a discerning ear and was ab l e to learn foreign languages with ease. He was fluent in German, French, Italian and was most recently learni ng Hebrew.

Conducting was his second passion in life. During his tenure of thirty years at G l enda l e College in Glendale, CA he formed an orchestra which evolved in to The Symphony of the Verdugos , becoming one of the finest commun i ty orchest ras in the Los Angeles area. His orchestra received the honor of performing at the prestigious Ambassador Auditorium i n Pasadena , CA for five seasons. Among the distinguished guest soloists that performed with him was Lillian Steuber Goin, an internationally famous pianist and accompanist to violinist Jascha Heifetz. Ms. Steuber gifted Joseph with her extensive p iano library. Joseph also enjoyed being a studio musicia n . Among his many guest perf orma nces, he played in the orchestras of John Williams, James Horner , Henry Mancini, James Levine, Jerry Go l dsm i t h, and L eonard Rose.

Jose ph treasured his family life. He and hi s first wife, Doreen, were ble ssed with three children: Aaron Wesley, Peter Helgi and Rachel Karina Roberg, who gifted him with two grandc h ildre n , Hanah Marie and Patrick Sebastian. Jo seph' s more recent wife of twenty-s i x years, Christine Finch (ease's three sons with previous husband George John Williams, of Ho uston, TX, are Nicholas Geo rge , Russ e l l Phi l i p, and Evan Jame s. Josep h became "Papa" to her sons and to Chri st ine ' s five grandch il dren, two step grandchi l dren and two "adop t ed " grandchildren. All of his children and g rand c hildr en were g rat eful rec i pients of his big heart.

After moving to The Woodlands, TX in 199 9 to be nearer to Christine's sons , Jo seph remained active professionally, jo inin g the staff of Montgomery Community College as well as offering private music lesson s . He also performed at various community f un ctions, including serv i ces at Congregation Ba t ­ Tzion. He served as a j udge for one year at the esteemed Young Texas Artists Music Compet ition . Large in s t ature, as well as generous in sp i r it , Jo seph loved doing t hings for others, acting as a servant to those in need.

Special thanks to the caregivers from Silverado Hospice. Eternal gratitude is extended to the Ceases' adopted Guatemalan family the Cordons: Gabriela, Marlon, Marlon Junior, and Benjamin for th eir lov i ng sacrificial care.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, October 6 at 10 a.m. at Kle i n Funeral Home , 14711FM 1488 , in Magnolia, TX. Jos eph' s Celebrat ion of Life luncheon follows at The Woodlands Country Club (Palmer) , 100 Grand Fairway Dr i ve in The Woodland s, phone numbe r 281 -8 63 - 1400.