Joe Dale Becker

Joe D. Becker passed away on July 30, 2016, on his birthday, at his home in Clemmons. Joe Becker’s soul and 88 year old body were separated as he lost an 8 year battle with congestive heart failure. He is now in heaven able to do all the things he could not do the last few years.

Joe was born on July 30, 1928, on a small farm in Ohio near Spencerville. Joe’s parents were John Richard Becker Sr. and Emma Zorina (Brookhark) Becker.

Joe graduated from Spencerville High School in 1946. When Joe turned 18 he enlisted in the U. S. Army. Since congress did not declare WWII over until December 31, 1946, this made him a WWII veteran. He was sent to Fort Knox, KY and became a radioman and assistant gunner on an M8 armored car. Once training was complete he shipped out to Korea where he was, for about a year, serving as an occupational troop filling the gap left by the withdrawal of all the Japanese from Korea. He was honorably discharged from the army in December 1947 at Fort Lawton in Seattle.

Returning home Joe soon enrolled at Bowling Green State University on the GI bill, where he earned multiple Bachelor degrees and a Master’s degree in Biology and Education. He taught in Roundhead, Ohio his first year and then moved to Northwestern Ohio to teach for a couple of years before taking a job at Anthony Wayne High School to teach Biology and Science. In the late 50’s, until about 1962, he was co-owner of Rowen and Becker, a small company that made MI carbines and parts for muzzle loading guns. Joe left teaching in the late 70’s and took a job as a carpenter for the Toledo Metro Parks. Carpentry was a skill he had learned from his father. Joe retired from Metro Parks in the fall of 1981 to become a business owner of Becker Sawmill, a business he ran until 1995. After shutting down the sawmill business Joe and Betty moved to North Carolinas to be closer to their daughter Josie Abbott and family.

Joe was united in holy matrimony on June 28, 1953 to Betty Claire Bucher at Waterville United Methodist Church and she survives him. Joe and Betty had four children, one of which was born premature and passed away within minutes of birth. Surviving children are Gene (Dorothy) of Duluth, MN, David (Susan) of Seatac, WA and Jodie (Jim) Abbott of Winston-Salem, NC. Joe is also survived by six grandchildren, Benjamin (Jessica) Becker and Amanda (Alex) Govze in MN, Jeremy (Beth) Abbott in NC, Joshua Becker, Isaac (Christina) Becker and Joseph Becker of WA. Joe also leaves to share his memory five great grandchildren, Lia and Blake Govze in MN and Ryan, Toby and Lucy Abbott of NC, a niece Julia (Allen) Becker and nephew John Becker. Joe’s older brother John Richard Becker Jr. in Terre Haute, IN also survives him.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, sister-in-law Lois Becker and nephew Franklin Abbott.

In the mid 1960’s Joe was a Waterville Village Councilman, resigning to move out of town in 1967. In the early 1980’s through 1995 he served again as a councilman in Waterville, resigning in 1995, when he and Betty moved to NC. He ran for mayor of Waterville as well, but did not win.

Joe lived to hunt, fish and woodworking. Highlights of his experience on earth would be hunting caribou in Alaska in 1998 at age 70 with his two sons. He got two caribou. In 1962 he spent the summer in Alaska while taking classes. The family enjoyed fishing trips every summer from 1964 to 1976 to Beaver Lake in Ontario with many happy memories. He took the whole family to Alaska in 1972, driving up and back, it was a great way to spend the summer.

In 1985 Joe and Betty went to the Amazon in Peru as well as Machu Picchu. In the 1980’s Joe and his friend Dave Jenkins returned to Korea as tourists, instead of soldiers. In 1991 Joe and Dave Jenkins along with their spouses went on a cruise to Alaska. In 2003 Joe and Betty took all the family on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Joe spent many hours squirrel hunting in the family woods in Ohio. Joe was a life member of the NRA, former member of Maumee Valley Gun collectors, Washington Arms collectors and Waterville United Methodist Church.

The family will receive friends at Frank Vogler & Sons Funeral Home in Clemmons on Wednesday, August 3rd from 6 – 8 pm. Funeral service will be on Thursday, August 4th at 1 PM at Mt. Olivet UMC. Internment will be at Highland Memory Gardens in Waterville, Ohio on August 13th, right next to the farm he and Betty lived on from 1967 to 1995.

Memorial contributions in Joe’s name may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

The family wishes to thank his outstanding caregivers from the past year: Amanda, Crystal, Lonnie and Penny. You provided so much love to him, Betty and us.

Frank Vogler & Sons Clemmons Chapel is assisting the Becker family.