Joseph McHale, Ph.D

Joseph P. McHale, Ph.D., lovingly known as "Big Joe", of Kansas City, Missouri passed away on December 8th, 2011 of natural causes. Joseph was born May 13, 1950 to Joseph and Orpha McHale in Riverside, California. During his youth he relocated numerous times to the different military bases his father was assigned to in the United States Air Force. While living in Macon, Georgia in the mid 1960's, Joe married his first wife, Starlette Rose White McHale, and fathered two children, Stephanie Marie and Joseph Frederick McHale.  Joe married his second wife Suzanne Schottler in 2001 and had the honor of becoming part of the Schottler family.  This included daughters Kelly Schottler and Melissa Bodine, and sons Travis Graf and Jonathan Schottler. Joe was a dedicated and proud grandfather to Amelia and Michael McHale and Eleanor Bodine. The mother of his heart was Amelia White of Milledgeville, Georgia. Joe began a distinguished career in law enforcement with the Macon, Georgia Police Department in 1971, where he remained until he was hired by the Kansas City Missouri Police Department in 1975. He remained with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department until 2001 when he retired at the rank of Major.  Joe gained vast experience during his tenure but was most proud of the Traffic Unit assignments he held at every rank. Joe became Chief of Police of Platte City, Missouri in 2002.  He obtained a Doctorate Degree from Northcentral University in Business Administration with a specialization in Criminal Justice-Homeland Security & Terrorism, as well as dual Master's Degrees in Public Administration and Information Management Technology. He was also working on a third Master's Degree in Homeland Security Terrorism. With his educational achievements, he began teaching at several universities. Joe was a graduate of the FBI National Academy and a very strong supporter of the United States Military. The countless people whose lives he touched had the opportunity to know an extremely caring, supportive, intelligent, honest and giving man. He was the rock that everyone could rely on when help or advice were needed. Joe was so widely known in the Kansas City area and in the KCMO Police Department that many of his stories are legendary and not in short supply. Every time he went out, he always ran into someone he knew. It was an equal rarity that he encountered a subject that he did not know something about; he was a walking volume of encyclopedias. His vast knowledge on a wide range of subjects, most notably history and military history, was awe-inspiring for even the most seasoned trivia buff. Though he had devoted much of his life to public service, his family always came first. Even as that family grew after his marriage to Suzanne, in Joe's eyes he had six children and he treated them all equally. He was a wonderful, loving husband and father, devoted grandfather, a teacher and a truly great friend. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, December 14 at Mt. Moriah Terrace Park. Services will begin at 11 a.m., Thursday, December 15, also at Mt. Moriah Terrace Park. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Wounded Warrior Project, the Ronald McDonald House, and the Salvation Army. Condolences to mountmoriahterracepark.comArrangements under the direction of Mount Moriah Terrace Park Funeral Home, Kansas City, MO.

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