Joseph R. Earl

56; of New Albany

A funeral Mass for Joseph R. Earl, 56, of New Albany, will be 10 a.m. Monday, July 26, at Holy Family Catholic Church, 129 W. Daisy Lane, New Albany, with burial with full military honors in St. Mary’s Cemetery. He died Wednesday, July 21, 2010, at Norton-Audubon Hospital, Louisville, near where he had been residing for the past few years.

He was a native and lifelong resident of New Albany, a graduate of Providence High School, and retired from Naval Ordinance in Louisville. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, and member of Holy Family Catholic Church in New Albany. Joe loved painting, fishing, camping and the outdoors, and was well-known in southern Indiana during the Christmas season as Santa Claus. He will be missed by all his many friends and family.

Survivors include his sons, Cory Earl, Joseph Earl and his wife, May, all of New Albany, and Travis Earl; grandchildren, Kayla, Cody, and Gwendolyn; sisters, Janice Earl and Mary Pat Atwood and her husband, David, all of New Albany; brothers, Thomas Earl and his wife, Jackie, of Sellersburg, and Frank Earl and his wife, Teresa, of New Albany.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Florence Earl.

Visitation will be at Kraft Funeral Service, Spring Street Chapel, New Albany, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

The family requests expressions of sympathy take the form of contributions to Interlink Counseling Services (Helping Vets) at 8311 Preston Highway, Louisville, 40219.

Online condolences may be made t kraftfuneralservice.net.