Joe Thomas Cheshier

Joe was born on June 16, 1936, in Bethel Springs, Tennessee to Pitser Edgar (“PE”) and Pearl Morton Cheshier. Joe left his small-town roots and joined the Air Force in 1955 achieving the rank of Airman First Class, E-1. That experience afforded him the opportunity to see large parts of the United States and to be stationed in Japan during 1956. Later, he was a mechanic on jet bombers and loaded arming triggers for the 40th Fighter Squadron. It was a special time in a young country boy’s life.

The Good Lord really blessed Joe in June 1961 when he met a pretty redhead named Dorothy (“Dot”) Sholar at church. They married in November of that year and raised two sons, Gregg and Derek, in the Memphis area. Joe and Dot were married over 61 years before her passing in March 2022.

Joe worked for the United States Postal Service for 30 years. After retiring, he stayed busy painting houses and stores. He was a machine with a paint brush and considered spraying for the lazier less capable folks. He loved clean vehicles and a manicured lawn and mowed his own right up to his passing.

Joe was an avid motorcyclist and was grouchy about selling his last Harley when he was 88 years old. He loved cars and proved that by buying 68 vehicles during his lifetime, which he could list for you at a moment’s notice. To ensure a sense of balance in his life, he also purchased 36 motorcycles and two golf carts. He was fascinated by aviation and usually knew more about the flights his sons and loved ones were on than the pilots of those planes.

Joe loved the Lord and exemplified Christ-like sacrificial love as he cared for Dot while her health deteriorated severely for more than a decade. There was never a question as to whether he would put her in a nursing home. He prayed often that he would outlive her, if only by a day, so he could care for “his Dorothy.” God granted him that prayer and then some.

Joe had an extensive social network that would rival a homecoming queen. He loved the folks at Meadowbrook Baptist Church and wasn’t going to give up his special pew for anyone. He had riding buddies, coffee buddies, special Friday night meals with Mary Jo and her family (still unclear if he actually liked Chinese food or just went along) and was great friends with several folks who went to high school with his sons.

He loved his grandkids and great grandkids and left them and the rest of us with a huge collection of “Joeisms” which are guaranteed to bring laughter and Southern insights for generations to come.

Joe was a patriot, in large part because he was able to live and embody the American Dream. To him, that wasn’t about money or things - it was about freedom. It was about living a life in a country where a guy who had made many mistakes could find redemption, forgiveness, and true freedom in the blood of Jesus, where he could marry way above his head, raise God-fearing sons, have a life full of wonderful friends, and a beautiful family.

Joe was preceded in death by his wife, Dot, his parents, brothers Simon and Paul, sister Marie, and grandson Brandon Russell.

Left to celebrate and remember Joe are his sons, Gregg (Shannon) of Dallas, TX and Derek (Lori) of Hernando, MS; four grandchildren, Leanna (Jason) Merrill of Byhalia, MS, Blake (Brooke) Cheshier of Atoka, TN, Paige Cheshier of Sandy Springs, GA, and Sarah Logan (Eddie) of Pensacola, FL; six great-grandchildren Nate, Piper, Jaxon, Quinley, Julian, and Rhett, and many nieces and nephews.

Services for Joe will be led by Brother Oscar Geeslin and are scheduled for 12:00 PM Friday, August 21, 2026, at Brantley Funeral Home in Olive Branch. Visitation will be held immediately preceding the services beginning at 10:00 AM with a reception for family and friends at the funeral home immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in Joe’s honor to the American Legion cause "Operation Comfort Warriors" (https://mylegion.org/personifyebusiness/Give/Donate-Online/Donate-Now?CashProductId=134418)

Psalm 23:6 — “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Close to my destination

Tired, frail and aching

Waiting patiently for the sun to set

And when it's done, believe that I

Will yell it from that mountain high

I was born free

I was born free

I was born free

(“Born Free,” Kid Rock)