Joe Kasper kept a sign on the door to his office. 

“Be silly. Be fun. Be different. Be crazy. Be you,” it read. “Because life is too short to be anything but happy.” 

It was a mantra that Kasper lived every day, his friends and family said.

“He had this joy for life,” said Tom Raffio, president and CEO of Northeast Delta Dental. He worked with Kasper for nearly 23 years, and they grew close. Raffio said Kasper was quick to remind people to make the most of life because of its shortness. “And he practiced what he preached.”

Kasper, 70, was the director of corporate services at Northeast Delta Dental, a longtime member and former chair of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors and a dedicated community volunteer, especially through participation with the Hudson Lions Club. He drew others in with his warmth, sense of humor, kind and supportive nature and contagious joy.

He died on Tuesday in a crash while riding his motorized scooter on Clinton Street — one of two traffic fatalities on Concord within 24 hours and one of 11 people statewide who died in a spate of lethal crashes over the last week. Ian McLauchlan, a 63-year old from Warner, died at the scene after a crash while riding his motorcycle in Penacook.

“His life is so rich with people that he’s helped or mentored,” Raffio said of Kasper. “He was not a tall man, but he was a giant in life.”

Kasper lived in Weare with his wife of 47 years. They have two grown children, Alex, 37, and Tiffany, 40, and two dogs.

“Most all of the time we were laughing,” said his wife, JoAnn Kasper. “We always had time to laugh. Even when we cried, we laughed after.” 

Kasper’s voice echoed throughout Concord. Those close to him said it was one of his most memorable attributes.

“He was always the emcee,” Tiffany Kasper said.

“He loved to hear the sound of his voice,” Ales, her brother added. “And you couldn’t blame him, the man had a good one.”

Kasper was a member of the Horseshoe Pond chapter of Toastmasters, an international organization that helps people develop their public speaking skills, and the resident auctioneer for scholarship fundraisers for Leadership Greater Concord through the Chamber. President Tim Sink described Kasper’s knack for entertaining the crowd while also drawing in more bids. As an announcer for Delta Dental’s Capital Area Race Series, Kasper sunk his teeth into the local running scene, Raffio said, learning the names and stories of different competitors. He also emceed the Cabaret night at Alvirne High School, where his two grown children were once students, for decades.

“He dreamed of being at a microphone,” JoAnn Kasper said. 

Kasper lived all parts of his life to the fullest. 

When JoAnn opened a daycare, he helped her. To the kids, he was “Mr. Joe” — except for the holiday season, when he was “Santa Joe.” When he dropped by to deliver JoAnn her coffee, the kids would tell her “Your best friend is here!” 

He was a collector: of hats, of clothes, of ties — at first traditional and then bow ties — of sauces and condiments, and of tools that he rarely used, his kids said. He cooked too much food at holidays, was constantly singing, and was king of dress-up. 

“The things that he loved,” Alex said, “he really loved.”

At work, Raffio said, Kasper was known for his supportive mentorship and hands-on involvement. Planning employee events, he was a big part of what makes the company’s large team still feel like family. 

As chair of the chamber’s board, Kasper aimed — and succeeded — at growing its membership count to be the largest in the state, according to Sink. He remained one of the group’s most supportive and active volunteers even after his time on the board ended.

“The chamber’s mission is to expand economic opportunity and quality of life. He cared a lot about that stuff and he really believed in it,” Sink said. “He made the work we do fun. When the phone would ring and you would hear ‘Joe Kasper is on line two,’ it was a really happy feeling.”

Kasper was an active member of the Hudson Lions Club for much of his life — following in the footsteps of his father, also a Lion. The group presented him with a statewide award recognizing his service less than two weeks ago. He brought his own kids along, too. Together they cooked countless breakfasts, picked up trash alongside the road and went to wrestling events.

“He loved that most of all, Lions” JoAnn said. “It was his favorite thing.”

Kasper’s passing Tuesday came as a shock. 

“He was so present. He never skipped or missed anything. He never had an off moment,” Raffio said. When he didn’t arrive at work Tuesday morning, Raffio knew something was wrong. 

JoAnn said police described the crash to her as “a true accident”: Something in the road hit his front wheel, shaking his steering, and before he was able to regain control, struck an oncoming truck head-on. He loved to ride that motorbike, JoAnn said, and he always wore a helmet. 

Calls, emails and messages have flooded in to the Kasper family over the last few days. In social media posts from organizations he was part of, comment sections have filled with messages of sad remembrance. 

“He liked everybody he met, and everybody liked him,” JoAnn said. “Which is part of why this is so hard.”

Kasper planned to retire later this year. He and JoAnn frequently went camping — they had planned a trip this weekend to Maine. 

“I feel like he’s sad that he’s not here. I feel like he’d be sad that he had promises he didn’t get to keep,” JoAnn said. “He  wasn’t done. We weren’t done.”