Joe was born on April 5, 1932, in Big Spring, Texas, and married Delia Puga on August 11, 1956, in Big Spring, Texas. He served two years in the United States Army during the Korean War, and then served his fellow veterans as a nurse in I.C.U. at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Big Spring, Texas, for 31 dedicated years before retiring in 1987.
Joe then moved to Houston in 1988 with his family where he then worked in property maintenance for 24 years before retiring a second time in 2012. He was an active member of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Sugar Land and was a dedicated fan of the 2022 World Series Champions Houston Astros.
Survivors include his wife, Delia Puga of Houston; his daughter, Belinda Puga of Houston; two sons, Joe Puga, Jr. of Houston, and Roy Puga of Orange County, California; two grandchildren, Alexis Puga of Pearland, and Sunshine Puga of Houston; two sisters, Emma Brown of San Angelo, and Mary “Nena” Martinez of Big Spring; and numerous nieces and nephews.
