Joe Hansel's dedication to cutting hair is legendary.

Not even a broken leg in his younger days could slow him down, said Shirley, his wife of 50 years.

"He rarely closed the shop, even in his later years," she said.

In fact, the Tuscarawas Township resident never planned to lay down his razor and shears.

But the sudden onset of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - better known as Lou Gehrig's disease - has forced Joe's hand. After 34 years in business, he closed the Tuslaw Barber Shop earlier this year.

"I thought I'd never quit," said Joe, who recently celebrated his 74th birthday.

The disease has progressed rapidly through Joe's body causing symptoms such as slurred speech, fatigue and breathing difficulties. Now, walking around the house is a monumental task for him.

Even Shirley is amazed at how quickly Joe's health has deteriorated.

"He started out with slurred speech in March and we thought he'd had a stroke," she said.

A series of tests in September revealed that Joe had the disease - a non-contagious, neuro-muscular syndrome.

The family regretted the hasty closing of the shop, but Joe's health made it a necessity.

A sign now hanging on the front door of the shop tells customers that while the longtime barber is physically unable to work due to the disease, he would rather be in the shop enjoying a chat with them.

Some of Joe's regular customers came from as far away as Medina and Cleveland, his wife noted.

In the early days, the Tuscarawas man charged $1.25 for a haircut. Before the shop closed, Joe was charging customers $8, $7.50 for students, for a trim.

Customers came from all walks of life. Teachers, students, military personnel and police officers were among his clients.

"I got a lot of preachers who came through," he said.

Joe even made home visits to customers who were shut in and could no longer travel to the shop.

The Hansels have been searching for a barber interested in renting the shop, but no one has come forward.

Joe didn't start out pursuing a career as a barber. He once worked inspecting artillery shells at the former Ekco Manufacturing Co., now World Kitchen, in Massillon.

But working in a factory for the rest of his life wasn't appealing.

Instead, he wanted to be his own boss.

"He just thought it was something he could do instead of working in a factory," Shirley said.

But fate likely put Joe at the plant, if only for a short time.

It was at the Ekco plant that Joe and Shirley first met. The married and the couple have three children - Marcia, Scott and Jodi - and 11 grandchildren.

In the early 1960s, Joe became a barber, working at a shop in Massillon. In July 1969, he opened his own shop after building an addition onto the couple's two-story home on Lincoln Way West, just west of Ohio 93.

"When he said he wanted to do it, I just had a peace about it and then it took off like gunfire," Shirley said.

As Joe's condition worsens, Shirley is drawing strength from their faith in God.

"God's in control. He's brought us through a lot. We lost a grandson to leukemia nine years ago and I know He's going to bring us through these times," she said.