
Happy Joe Whitty. Photo taken Friday, Feb. 12, 1993. (Photo by John Schultz/Quad-City Times)
People get nicknames for a reason, and for Lawrence "Happy Joe" Whitty, the reason was obvious.
The Davenport baker-turned-pizza-magnate carried a love for people, having a good time and making people laugh with him wherever he went, including the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf where he died Tuesday morning. He was 82.
Whitty will be remembered as the founder of a chain of Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlors that brought pizza and ice cream to all, and horns and sirens to those celebrating birthdays.
In 1974 he invented the first-ever taco pizza that quickly became — and remains — the restaurants' bestseller.
Whitty also will be remembered for his philanthropy, particularly through the Happy Joe's Kids Foundation that he and his family founded in 2012 to improve the lives of children with special needs. The foundation's signature activity is a big holiday party.
Though the foundation was established to note the 40th anniversary of the company, Whitty had been sponsoring parties for many years before that, beginning in his own restaurants and eventually moving to larger venues, finally settling at the iWireless Center, now TaxSlayer Center, in Moline. The party in 2018 was the 46th, attracting more than 1,000 people with food, music, gifts, balloons and dancing.
The foundation was fulfilling a promise Whitty had made to himself years earlier that when he had made enough money to support his family, he'd give something back to the community, he told reporters through the years.
“I have always had a soft spot for these special kids and their families," Whitty told a reporter in 2014. "The kids go through so much and the parents are amazing people who stop at nothing for their kids."
Jeff Ashcraft, president and CEO of the Handicapped Development Center, Davenport, one of the foundation's partner organizations, said Whitty's "impact on people with disabilities is unmatched."
Whitty also loved to tell a story or a joke. "I'm pretty good at telling stories," he once told a reporter in a bit of understatement. In later years, he'd appear at parties in a wheelchair, wearing his trademark skimmer straw hat and ever-present smile.
In a write-in contest sponsored in 1996 by the Quad-City Times, he was voted the "biggest hearted" person in the Quad-Cities.
And as former Times columnist Bill Wundram wrote in 1998, Whitty is "always there, always cares."
How it all began
Lawrence Whitty was born on a farm outside Minot, North Dakota, and was the first to admit that he was better at basketball than schoolwork.
He began his career as a baker in Crookston, Minnesota. In the 1960s, he moved his family to Davenport to manage the bakery in what was then a Super Valu store on West 4th Street.
Three years later he opened a bakeshop at the former Mercy Hospital, now Genesis Medical Center-West Central Park Avenue, and became its dietary director, he told a reporter in 2014.
A chance meeting with a visitor at the hospital got him a management position at the former Shakey's Pizza in Davenport. As people left the store, they often asked where they could go to get ice cream, a question that gave him the idea for combining pizza with ice cream several years later.
After a stint managing three Shakey's in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he and his family moved back to Davenport. His wife Sandy had encouraged him to follow his dream, so with "no more than two nickels to rub together," as he was fond of saying, he secured a $30,000 Small Business Administration loan and on Nov. 16, 1972, opened the first Happy Joe's in the Village of East Davenport. The location was a former drug store that now is Lagomarcino's Confectionery.
He had decided on pizza instead of a bakery because back in his North Dakota days, he saw that a baker took the dough, added dates, nuts, sugar and icing and sold his product for 49 cents. A pizza maker, on the other hand, took dough and added tomato sauce and cheese and sold his product for $5.
Whitty's family-oriented pizza parlor in the Village became and instant hit, and he was on his way to blockbuster success.
That's not to say Whitty didn't have his share of knocks. Two years later, in November 1974, his wife died of leukemia at the age of 34, leaving him with two boys and two girls.
But Whitty soldiered on and two years later he married Nancy McGrath, who brought five children to their marriage. And the business continued to expand.
Whitty was always trying new things. In addition to inventing different kinds of pizzas, he through the years opened a cookie shop, developed a breakfast pizza and other breakfast items, expanded his brand into "fast-casual" dining and founded the Jungle Bungle playhouse/restaurant near NorthPark Mall, Davenport.
In 2013, he published a book titled "Not Your Average Joe."
"I'm not only living proof of the American dream but proof that the American dream can become a reality for any one of us," he wrote about the book.
At its peak, Happy Joe's had about 100 stores throughout the country and once claimed locations in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In 1990, Whitty was inducted into the Quad-Cities Area Business Hall of Fame, sponsored by Junior Achievement of the Heartland.
In 2017, Happy Joe's announced a partnership with Dynamic Restaurant Holdings.

Happy Joe Whitty

Happy Joe Whitty. Photo taken Friday, Feb. 12, 1993. (Photo by John Schultz/Quad-City Times)

Prince Mishael Bin Saud Bin Abdul Aziz and Lawrence J. "Happy Joe" Whitty share some humor during a conference about their new restaurant venture in Saudi Arabia. The prince will open a Happy Joe's Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor next year in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Photo taken Tuesday, Aug. 24, 1993. Published Thursday, Aug. 26, 1993. (Photo by Larry Fisher/Quad-City Times)

Happy Joe Whitty. Photo taken Thursday, Aug. 31, 1978. (Photo by Brent Hanson/Quad-City Times)

Joe Whitty. (Quad-City Times photo)


Evelyn Hemphill, 6, from the Black Hawk Special Education Center, talks with Happy Joe Whitty during the annual Happy Joe’s Holiday Party for children with special needs at the TaxSlayer Center, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Moline. The party featured Happy Joe’s pizza and ice cream, dance party with Happy Joe’s Hip Hop Dancers, and Happy the Dog. Children attending the party also received a book provided by Books a Million.

Cole Stear, 10, a student at the Black Hawk Special Education Center, shakes hands with Happy Joe Whitty during the annual Happy Joe’s Holiday Party for children with special needs at the TaxSlayer Center Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Moline.

Evelyn Hemphill, 6, from the Black Hawk Special Education Center, talks with Happy Joe Whitty during the annual Happy Joe’s Holiday Party for children with special needs at the TaxSlayer Center, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Moline. The party featured Happy Joe’s pizza and ice cream, dance party with Happy Joe’s Hip Hop Dancers, and Happy the Dog. Children attending the party also received a book provided by Books a Million.

Cole Stear, 10, a student at the Black Hawk Special Education Center, shakes hands with Happy Joe Whitty during the annual Happy Joe’s Holiday Party for children with special needs at the TaxSlayer Center on Tuesday in Moline.

Mattix Berg, 7, from Hamilton Elementary School, tries on Happy Joe Whitty's signature straw boater hat during the annual Happy Joe’s Holiday Party for children with special needs at the TaxSlayer Center, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Moline.

Isabella Durkin, 7, from Irving Elementary School, hugs Happy Joe Whitty, during the annual Happy Joe’s Holiday Party for children with special needs, Tuesday at the TaxSlayer Center, Dec. 4, 2018, in Moline.

Isabella Durkin, 7, from Irving Elementary School, hugs Happy Joe Whitty, during the annual Happy Joe’s Holiday Party for children with special needs, Tuesday at the TaxSlayer Center, Dec. 4, 2018, in Moline.

Mattix Berg, 7, from Hamilton Elementary School, tries on Happy Joe Whitty's signature straw boater hat during the annual Happy Joe’s Holiday Party for children with special needs at the TaxSlayer Center, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018, in Moline.

Demolition is under way on two buildings at 1716, 1718 and 1720 N. Harrison St., Davenport. Former Happy Joe's President Larry Whitty, who bought the parcels of land in August, said he isn't sure what new business(es) he will establish there. He is working with the Hilltop Campus Village to determine a good fit. Most recently, a Boost Mobile store was at 1720. At one point in 2007, the parcel at 1716 was a tattoo parlor, according to Scott County records.

Quad-City Mallards forwards Alex Globke and Garrett Klotz stop to talk with Happy Joe Whitty at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline on Wednesday, December 6, 2017. Happy Joe's hosted the 45th annual Quad-City party for children with special needs.

Happy Joe Whitty smiles while watching kids dance and celebrate at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline on Wednesday, December 6, 2017. Happy Joe's hosted the 45th annual Quad-City party for children with special needs.

Director of Marketing Kristel Whitty-Ersan encourages kids to dance and have at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline on Wednesday, December 6, 2017. Happy Joe's hosted the 45th annual Quad-City party for children with special needs.

Lawrence "Happy Joe" Whitty, founder of the Quad-City pizza and ice cream chain that bears his name, smiles during a news conference Thursday in Bettendorf to announce a partnership with Dynamic Restaurant Holdings.

Founder Happy Joe Whitty, left, and Jim Smith of Dynamic Restaurant Holdings were part of the Oct. 26 press conference that announced the popular pizza chain has joined in a partnership with Dynamic Restaurant Holdings that will allow it to grow into a national brand. The press conference was held at the Happy Joe's Support Center in Bettendorf.

Happy Joe's Director of Marketing Kristel Whitty-Ersan speaks during a press conference announcing the company's partnership with Dynamic Restaurant Holdings.

Happy Joe's President Larry Whitty compared the new partnership with a holding company as a structure similar to YUM! Brands, which owns a number of fast-food chains such as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

Founder Happy Joe Whitty laughs while telling stories about his experiences founding the pizza chain in 2017.

Happy Joe Whitty reads a birthday card from Alex Souhrada, 6, of Bettendorf, on Sept. 10, 2017, during a Birthday Car & Wheel Show at the Happy Joe's Pizza parlor in Eldridge. The event celebrated Whitty's 80th birthday.

Joe Whitty, founder of the chain of pizza and ice cream parlors that bear his name.

"Happy" Joe Whitty dances with Linsey Kruegler of Bettendorf, Sept. 10, during his birthday party. Kruegler has worked in seven of the Happy Joe's franchises he founded.

Happy Joe Whitty smiles as he reads a birthday card during his 80th birthday party.

Happy Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's Pizza, is presented a cake for his 80th birthday.

Jim Bowman, left, co-owner of Snowstar Winter Park, talks with Larry Whitty, president of Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlors Inc.

Joe Whitty, center, is surrounded by Quad-City area schoolchildren before the Happy Joe’s 44th annual Quad-City Party for Children with Special Needs on Monday at the iWireless Center, Moline. In 1972, on the eve his first restaurant’s opening night, Whitty invited a local priest to bless his business and promised that if he could make enough money to feed his family, he would give something back to the community. So, Whitty shut down the restaurant for a few hours one day a year to have a party for those less fortunate, and he has required his franchisees to do the same. Nearly 168,000 children have benefited from the parties. More will be served at two more parties Tuesday at the iWireless Center.

Larry Whitty, president of Happy Joe's, discusses the company's new PizzaGrille, located at 2900 River Drive, Moline, near the Western Illinois University Campus. Located in The Mills at Riverbend Commons housing complex, the restaurant will feature a coffee area with barista selections and breakfast items. It also will serve lunch, dinner, snacks and Happy Joe's own frozen Joegurt. Whitty said the restaurant still is hiring staff and planning for a soft opening Nov. 30.

Ashley Balluff, of the Muscatine Happy Joe's, poses with Happy Joe Whitty after being named Franchise Coach of the Year by the Bettendorf-based restaurant chain.

Modern Woodmen of America honored its Community Service Award honorees at a finale celebration of the award.
After beginning the award in 1997, the Rock Island fraternal financial services organization presented its last award to all the past recipients. Each honoree was awarded a $1,500 grant to donate to their favorite nonprofit. Pictured in the front row, from left, Jim Horstmann, John Wetzel, Judy Kreiter, Dr. Richard “Bud” Phillis, Don Wooten, Jon Tunberg and Jim Collins. In the back row, from left, Jeff Tunberg, Mark Schwiebert, Michael Bauer, Clyde Schoeck, Modern Woodmen president and CEO Kenny Massey, Steven Bahls and Jon Blanc (son of honoree Gene Blanc). Attendees not pictured were Marion Lardner (widow of honoree Peter Lardner) and Bob Morrison. Honorees not present: William Foster, Tina Getz (on behalf of honorees Thomas and Karen Getz), Jill McLaughlin and Joe Whitty.

Joe Whitty, owner of Happy Joe's Pizza, greets Anna Schadt of Wood Intermediate School in Davenport at the 42nd annual Special Needs Children's Party at the iWireless Center in Moline. Whitty and Happy Joe's held two parties Tuesday, and two more are scheduled for Wednesday. To see more photos from the Happy Joe's party, go to qctimes.com/gallery.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, greets kids during the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Christmas Party in 2013.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, hosts the 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Christmas Party at the iWireless Center in Moline, Illinois Friday November 22, 2013. Kids get pizza, Pepsi , entertainment and a visit from Santa.

More than 1,000 children had smiles on their faces as Happy Joe Whitty hosted his 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Party on Friday at the iWireless Center in Moline.

Joe Whitty, founder of Happy Joe's pizza restaurants, greets kids Friday during his 41st annual Quad-City Special Needs Children's Party at the iWireless Center in Moline.

Happy Joe Whitty