Joel MacIntosh Obituary

Joel Patrick MacIntosh (1969-2025)
Husband, Father, Son and Brother. Friend, Mate, Best Man, Brother. Leader, Pioneer, Visionary. Fearless, Intentional, Optimistic. Compassionate, Gregarious, Engaging.
Our beloved Joel Patrick MacIntosh has shuffled off his mortal coil and is now wreaking havoc in heaven with his brother Brian, lovingly watched by their mother Christy. Two truths about Joel make this an absolute certainty – he lived by his own code with family paramount.
Joel was born to G. Thomas and Christine MacIntosh in Wayzata, MN on January 11, 1969. He was preceded into life by Brian and his sister, Lee, and preceded into the afterlife by Christy and Brian. He is survived by his soulmate, Jennie, three children Oscar (24), Cade (12) and Marlo (11); his father, Tom, and stepmother Elaine; his sister Lee Wilka, her husband Jim and children, Brienne and Kelly; and countless friends, colleagues and random folk he impacted throughout his life. A celebration of Joel's life will be held on Monday, July 14th, 2025 at Mercy Hill Church 15414 Minnetonka Industrial Rd, Minnetonka, MN 55345. Service at 11:00 am with a luncheon to follow. A second service will be held at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd on the Shattuck St. Mary's campus on Tuesday, July 15th, 2025 at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The ALS Association.
Joel was adventurous from the beginning, eagerly following his brother and sister and getting into whatever trouble they could find. The last generation of free-range kids found their champions in the MacIntosh kids. Joel discovered how to break rules from Brian and how to get away with it from Lee. It was no surprise when Brian graduated high-school and joined the Army that Lee and Joel were dispatched to Shattuck St.-Mary's School, a boarding school in Faribault, MN.
Joel joined an incoming 7th grade class of seven students where he met lifelong friends Justin Bradford and Jerry Bravo. Jerry hailed from Mexico City and accelerated Joel's Spanish skills, particularly his vocabulary, and they played 1st doubles on the varsity tennis team from 7th grade on. Joel was an honor roll student, if indifferent, and excelled at whatever sport he tried, but found his groove on the tennis court. His most valued time was as a member of the Crack Squad drill team. A leader and Best Driller, he became the heart a group of friends with whom he shared a lifetime of experiences.
Joel made friends effortlessly and held them fast – unfailingly optimistic and generous with his time and attention – he connected easily with others. He inherited his father's ability to remember people and his mother's curiosity and compassion – he got to know you quick, remembered everything about you and what fun you had together. Joel had a special ability to connect with anyone, made more so by his sincerity and earnestness.
Joel infused everything he did with his sense of humor, and fun with him invariably reached epic proportions. He was fearless in his pursuit of the epic, always ready to dive headfirst into creating unforgettable experiences. We can probably blame Brian for that. He also developed a keen ability to assess physical risk, so the worst that befell any who participated were sprains and strains, bruises and a few stitches. Maybe more than a few, but what's an emergency room visit when you "just had the BEST TIME EVER!"
With his own set of rules and eagerness to test limits, Joel occasionally found his behavior in conflict with The Authority in whatever form that took in the moment. Some of his other traits – resilience, doggedness and no small amount of charm – helped him get out of many of those conflicts, but not all. Joel was unable to return to Shattuck his senior year as a result of one such conflict, which set him on a different path. He remained close to the school nonetheless, a regular visit for reunion or special gathering or to help the Crack Squad. He served on the Board of Trustees and received an Honorary Diploma in 2023. As a measure of Joel's impact on the school, those never severed ties and of the life he led: of the eight criteria upon which candidates were measured, Joel was the only one in history known to have qualified along all eight.
Joel finished high school at Southwest Minneapolis. He graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management and then proceeded to create his own path. As a man with his own rulebook, he didn't take well to being told what to do by a boss. Before he graduated from the U, he had already stepped into running two TCBY stores – employing friends, of course. Wherever he landed, his place naturally became a hub, a welcoming hangout for friends – especially SSM alumni and his Crack Squad buddies.
He explored many ways to make a living, very few of them involving finding a job somewhere. That happened, certainly, but was it was the exception to Joel's rule. He explored a few multi-level marketing schemes – selling nutrition products and water filtration systems. Not satisfied with the programs, he launched his own, sourcing parts for water filtration, assembling systems himself, and securing commercial contracts rather than grinding out person-to-person sales.
He eventually joined forces with his brother Brian - a cool, mad scientist, computer whiz – to launch WolfNet Technologies in 1996 from the basement of Joel's home, replacing the boxes of water filters. The breakthrough occurred when Joel secured Roger Fazendin Realty as a client, tasked with building a website – and the path was set. When engaged by Fazendin Realty, Joel realized two things. First, no real estate website would be useful without a search function. Second, existing multiple listing services that controlled the data were not seizing the opportunity.
Joel's dear friend Victor Lund paid a glowing tribute about the end of the WolfNet path:
As the founder and CEO of WolfNet, and later through its successful merger with OjO Labs, Joel was instrumental in modernizing real estate technology and pioneering IDX [the new search technologies]. His forward-thinking leadership built critical bridges between traditional industry practices and the emerging digital ecosystem, empowering countless professionals with tools and platforms that remain essential today.
From a basement on France Avenue to Best in Show; this was no accident. Joel saw his path; he never asked whether something could be done, he asked how something could be done. Joel was intentional – he never acted without purpose or direction. He was dogged – once set on a path, nothing would stand in the way. His focus was steady as it was relentless.
Obstacles were meant to be navigated-around, over, or under; and if that failed, removed entirely. Joel was a visionary, saw what real estate search could be a digital world and set about to make it happen. Over the next 15 years, WolfNet broke down the barriers at hundreds of regional, state and local MLSs, combining thousands of unique data sets into the predominate web- and app-based real estate search engine. If you have searched for a home online, chances are you have used WolfNet technology.
Joel did not do this alone, of course. Fundamental to WolfNet's success from the early days through the merger with OJO was Chris Freeman, a Squad buddy and oftentimes housemate. Lee came on board to keep everyone in line. Later, Jennie joined WolfNet and Joel found not only an exceptional manager but also his soulmate.
Jennie and Joel were married in an epic wedding in Los Cabos, Mexico in 2013, surrounded by a mass of friends and family. With the birth of Cade and Marlo, Joel became a father again. His greatest joy had been his son Oscar; he eagerly embraced that experience multiplied. In a life where happiness and positivity were the default, being a father brought out the best in him. Oscar will tell you that Joel's love was as intentional and purposeful as the rest of his life. After the merger to OJO Labs, Joel was able to focus his energy on his kids. Everything else took a back seat. Joel loved coaching his kids in football and hockey and never missed an opportunity to cheer them on from the sidelines.
Joel and Jennie's home was always a gathering place, welcoming friends from near and far. Jennie was his partner in this as in everything and the times they shared with so many will be remembered fondly. Joel approached friendship the way he approached life – intentional, all in. He cared deeply, was always present with the people around him. He was there when you needed him – to lend a hand, offer advice and counsel or give a much-needed hug; stalwart, the extra mile was nothing for Joel. For those who knew him, the relationship with Joel was unique and special. For Joel, that was simply how life was meant to be lived.
He stood as best man in half a dozen weddings, and it would have been more if not for brothers claiming the honor. He was everybody's best friend, and he made you feel like you were his. His absence will be felt as profoundly as his presence once was, but his spirit lives on in countless memories and stories shared about this remarkable man.
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