About Me

My name is Joe Ely. I’m 52 (as of November 2004), married to my wife of 30+ years, Gretchen and we have three sons, a daughter-in-law and two grandsons..

David is 27, married to Susan and they are the parents of twin sons, Andrew and Nathan. Plus, they are expecting another child in June, 2006. David is a medic in the US Army and just returned in August from a year-long tour in Iraq. We were all thrilled to have him back safely.

Our second son, Nathan, lives in Portland, Oregon. Like his mom, dad and brother, he’s a Purdue graduate. Nathan is an account executive with a temporary help agency in Portland. It is a great match for his skills in communicating and reading people. He’s 25, is thrilled to have a nephew named after him and is enjoying living on the West Coast.

Matt, is 17 and a junior in High School. He’s a deep thinker and a perceptive kid. He is a very good student, active in Debate and considering his college plans.

Gretchen is my best friend and a wonderful woman. She is a remarkably giving and caring person and this shows well beyond our family and into our neighborhood and community. We met while undergrads at Purdue in the early 70s and were friends long before we started dating. That’s a good recipe for a great marriage.

I’ve been doing technical management for most of my career. The most absorbing thing I’ve ever done is to implement a concept called Lean Manufacturing over the past 6 years. It is the best shot we have at preserving good manufacturing jobs in the US and it absorbs much of my time.

My faith is important to me. As a follower of Christ, I seek to have my faith impact the way I deal with my family and work worlds in a positive and helpful way.

The name of this blog, “Run with Perseverance” flows from my faith. This is a phrase from the Bible that says, in full, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1). This is good advice for life and running illustrates this so well. Thus, I’ll mention how I see my faith interacting with my running and life from time to time in this blog. I hope you find it helpful.

Thanks for reading my blog. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

Persevere