Joe Phillip Atterberry Sr.

Joe Phillip Atterberry Sr., devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, great grandfather and treasured friend, passed away peacefully on August 30th in Jacksonville, FL, at the age of 94.

Joe was born in Hattiesburg, MS, the third of eight children born to Charles “C.L.” Lewis Atterberry and Elsie Jean Atterberry. Upon graduating from Eureka High School, he enlisted in the Army along with his brother Charles to serve his country in both WW II and the Korean conflict. After leaving the service, he married the love of his life Josephine E. Chapman. The pair then set their sights on the great Northwest where Joe began a 30+ year-long career with The Boeing Company in Seattle WA. Joe became known for his hard work, helpfulness and innovative thinking as he put together parts of airplanes that would carry people to destinations all over the planet.

During the middle of his life, Joe realized decades before many others the importance of getting and staying in shape. He played tennis and became an avid cycler and runner. He began biking and running to work and started running marathons all over the Northwest. He remained physically active well into retirement.

Joe was dedicated to family and the God he loved. Later in life, he made the decision to make Jesus the Lord of his life and he never looked back. He was a constant source of strength and guidance. He instilled in his children his values of hard work, kindness, dedication and speaking the truth even when it was unpopular. He was a faithful and dedicated deacon at both the Emerald City Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Seattle, Washington as well as at his home church of the Jacksonville First Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Joe had an infectious smile that will be sorely missed.

Beyond his work life, Joe loved gardening, growing both vegetables and flowers. He took great pleasure in giving the flowers he grew to his wife. There was a time when he tried his hand at making wine. The family would go to the Yakima Valley in eastern Washington State and pick LOTS of berries. He would ferment the berries in big vats and bottle the wine. It was quite flavorful and tasty.

The absence of Joe’s huge smile and quiet strength will leave an emptiness in the hearts of all who knew him. That emptiness will not be filled in this life. His warmth and kindness will live on in the lives of the people he touched. We look forward to the day when we will see him again raised to eternal life when Jesus returns to take His children home.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Charles “C.L.” Lewis Atterberry and Elsie Jean Atterberry; his siblings, Cleveland Lewis Atterberry, Charles Grady Atterberry, Mary Ann Thompson, Vivian “Pee-Wee” Ophelia Sterns, Lewis Edward Atterberry, and Willie Claude Atterberry. He is survived by his devoted wife of 69 years, Josephine E. Atterberry; his sister, Verlia Louise Harvey; their children, Joe Atterberry Jr. (Elizabeth), Andrea Strickland (Ricky); and his children, Katharina Dziciol (Oswald) and Marvin Thompson (Sharon). He also leaves behind a host of relatives and friends who celebrate his life and take comfort in knowing he rests in God’s eternal peace.

A visitation for Joe will be held Friday, September 12, 2025 from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at Jacksonville First Seventh-day Adventist Church, 7951 Lenox Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32221 with the funeral service at 10:30 AM. The committal service will follow at 12:30 PM, Jacksonville National Cemetery, 4083 Lannie Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32218.