Joseph Cobb Easterly

Joseph Cobb Easterly, age 91, died on February 16, 2026 in Nashville, TN. Born in Knoxville, TN on November 11, 1934, Joe was an East Tennessean whose roots and relationships were closely tied to the Knoxville area and the wider region, including Oak Ridge.

Joe was born into the Easterly family of Knoxville, the son of Henry Victor Easterly and Reba Niota Cobb Easterly. He was raised in a family shaped by Southern Baptist church life and service, and he carried forward the values of faithfulness, steadiness, and care for others that marked his family generations before him.

Joe received his Bachelor's degree in Church Music at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, TN and continued his post-graduate studies in Church Music at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He served as a lifelong Minister of Music for numerous churches, including Washington Pike Baptist Church, Knoxville, TN; Webb Baptist Church, Arlington, TX; First Baptist Church, Cleveland, TN; Robertsville Baptist Church, Oak Ridge, TN; San Souci Baptist Church, Greenville, SC; First Baptist Church, Gatlinburg, TN; Inglewood Baptist Church, Nashville, TN; and numerous interim Minister of Music positions. Later in life, Joe became a regional sales representative for Malmark handbell company, which brought Joe great joy and provided him a further opportunity to serve the church, celebrate its music, and love its people.

Joe sang with the Seminary Hymns Quartet and was a member of the Baptist Hour Choir. He loved traditional church music, playing the piano, composing hymns, directing choirs, singing, University of Tennessee Basketball, and keeping his car and garage spotlessly clean. Most of all, Joe loved people and never met a stranger. He had a quick smile, engaged in encouraging conversation with everyone he met, and had a joke ready for every occasion. He loved his family and friends with a boyish charm, sense of humor, and wonder.

He is survived by his wife, Linda Idol Easterly; his daughter, Laura Easterly Coyle (Frank); his grandchildren, Lindsey Johnson Perry (Nicholas), Erin Easterly Johnson, Maxwell Garrett Coyle (Holli), and Jack Ryan Coyle; his great grandchildren, Desmond Aaron Coyle and Owen Maxwell Coyle; and his sister, Beverly Easterly Winstead; also with extended family members and friends who loved him deeply and will miss him greatly.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Henry Victor Easterly and Reba Niota Cobb Easterly; his sister, Freddie Lou Easterly Bolton; his brother, Richard Eugene Easterly; and his daughter, Cynthia Jayne Easterly.

The Funeral will be held at West Hills Baptist Church in Knoxville, TN on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 12:30 p.m. local time with Visitation at the church to follow. A private family interment will take place at Oak Ridge Memorial Park in Oak Ridge, TN on Monday, February 23, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to Alive Hospice, 1718 Patterson St., Nashville, TN 37203.