SAN JOSE — To the world, Joseph Horwedel was the man who brought countless development projects to life during a thriving career as San Jose’s planning director.

But to Linda Horwedel he was her best friend and lifelong companion. The couple enjoyed 25 years of wedded bliss. Horwedel, 56, died Monday after a short but aggressive battle with cancer.

“First and foremost, he was the most wonderful husband that anyone could ever ask for,” a tearful Horwedel said on Tuesday. “He was a good listener and provider and a good companion.”

Friends say Horwedel was diagnosed a few weeks ago with stage four liver cancer. His death shocked former colleagues and friends Tuesday, many of whom had no idea Horwedel was ill.

Even after his retirement from San Jose in December 2013, Horwedel stayed involved with local planning projects, city commissions and state and national organizations. He belonged to the American Planning Association and was involved with events sponsored by the Big City Planning Directors Institute.

“He enjoyed that because then he could travel to the different cities for the conferences and he was a mentor to a lot of up and coming planners,” Horwedel said of her late husband’s involvement. Most recently, he worked on a development project in San Benito County and a new City Hall in Atherton. He also served as an interim public works director for San Benito County after his retirement from San Jose.

Closer to home, Horwedel wrote skits for San Jose Stage Company’s annual Monday Night Live comedy show, sat on the Christmas in the Park board and the city’s neighborhoods commission.

Gary Schoennauer, who was the city’s planning director at the time, hired Horwedel in the early 1980s in the zoning division. Over the next 30 years, Horwedel worked his way up the ranks into the planning director role.

“Joe brought to the table a very strong interest and skill in design review,” Schoennauer said. “He was like the perfect employee — dedicated, hard working and would do anything you asked him to do. We were told he wasn’t feeling well, but nobody had any idea he was suffering from terminal cancer. I’m in shock like everybody else.”

City Manager Norberto Duenas planned to remember Horwedel during a City Council meeting Tuesday. Duenas said Horwedel had a passion for planning and for San Jose.

“I know that his passing is a great loss, certainly to his family, but also to his wide circle of friends and professional colleagues,” Duenas said. “Personally, I will miss his ready good cheer and his effective commitment to finding practical solutions to tough problems by listening and working with people to find common ground.”

While Horwedel accomplished so much during his long career in public service, Linda Horwedel said her husband was most proud of their 22-year-old daughter, Maggie, a budding artist who attends an art institute in San Francisco.

And he had a passion for all things Disney, she said, often enjoying trips to the Disneyland and Walt Disney World theme parks.

“He was a big Disney fan and we had a lot of fun times going to Disney World,” she said. “That was his escape. That and a rum drink.”

Contact Ramona Giwargis at 408-920-5705. Follow her at Twitter.com/ramonagiwargis.