We speak often about the good fortune we experience working at Naked Prosthetics. How grateful we are for the meaningful work we do, the friends we make along the way, and the gift when those friends also become family. It is from this place of connection we are deeply saddened at the recent loss of a family member, Joe Yeske.
As a beta tester and one of the first ThumbDriver users, Joe was instrumental in providing constructive feedback about the device, contributing to improve it for wearers who followed him. He was an advocate, an educator, and a motivator. He worked in tandem with us as we travelled to tradeshows and conferences in the US and abroad, and he was always enthusiastic to join the post-event fun.
We will always be grateful for Joe’s steadfast support of our mission. We’ll miss his friendship, his counsel, his sense of humor and his warmth. Though he may be gone, Joe will always be a part of the Naked Prosthetics family.
Below are some personal words and memories about Joe from Naked Prosthetics family members who worked closely with him over the years.
Naked Prosthetics CEO Bob Thompson: Joe was a pleasure to be around, with a great sense of humor. He was thoughtful and really cared about those around him. He was a true friend. Joe will be missed.
CTO KT Treadwell: He was a good friend, and a supportive and kind man. It is sad that such a tough and unique character could be gone at a relatively young age.
Drew Leininger, Director of Development: As a company we are forever indebted to those end-users whose efforts help develop, promote, and improve our products. Joe did all of that and then some with honesty, enthusiasm, and a smile, and anyone who had a chance to spend time with him in that capacity had nothing but nice things to say about those memories.
Dana Rock, Clinical Specialist: I really got to know Joe at the last in-person AOPA in San Diego 2019. He had a very fatherly presence about him. He spoke so well about the devices and how they impacted his life. He was naturally curious and mechanically inclined and was very interested in the prosthetics field on the whole. I am truly saddened to hear about his passing. I am sure he touched many lives besides ours here at NP.
Matthew Finney, Naked Prosthetics Ambassador: Joe had a glowing personality that was highly contagious. He always had a way to make me laugh and was easy to talk to. Joe was just a great man, and a great friend.
Hannah Smith, Southeast Education Outreach Specialist: Joe was remembered by trade show attendees and other vendors. Joe didn’t like to sit down, loved good food, rolled with the punches, and was up for anything! He was a work-hardened man and total kid at heart, a mentor, an advocate for partial hand amputees, but most of all a friend. He will be missed dearly.
Brad Crittenden, Lead Production Engineer: Joe left an impression on me, even though I only met him a few times while developing the ThumbDriver. We had a little photoshoot at a nearby workshop and between shots Joe helped to organize the place, even though he didn’t know the owners. He was so easy-going and kind and genuinely wanted to be helpful.
