Capt. Joseph G. Oliver Jr., age 88, passed away at his home in Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Joe was born on February 4, 1936 in Nashville, Tennessee and was the only child to Mary Cato Oliver and Joseph G. Oliver Sr. He is survived by his wife, two children, and two grandchildren: Gail Oliver, Joseph G. Oliver III (wife Nadine Oliver), Merrin Oliver Jeffries (husband Carson Jeffries), Shane Patrick Jeffries (4) and Josephine Olivia Jeffries (1).
After graduating from Hillsboro High School in 1954, Joe enlisted in the United States Air Force, where he quickly rose to the ranks of Captain before joining Delta Airlines as a pilot in 1958. In his time flying with Delta, Joe served on the Delta Central Air Safety Committee and chaired the All-Weather Flying Committee. His work resulted in the development of a series of technical revisions and critiques of advanced aircraft instrumentation, cockpit displays, and automated landing systems, which led to substantially improved flight path information for pilots and earned him a highly esteemed safety award from The Airline Pilots Association. He retired as Captain from Delta in 1996. After retirement, Joe kept himself busy as a demonstration pilot for Pilatus Aircraft and later a real estate broker for Coldwell Banker.
Joe’s biggest passions were flying, his family, and sailboats. He met his wife, Gail, on a flight soon after she graduated from flight attendant school, and he never let her go. They enjoyed 56 years together and 50 years of marriage, traveled the world together, and raised their family in the home Joe designed and built in Sandy Springs, Georgia. They built and raced their sailboat, The Rebel, on Lake Lanier, and afterwards continued to charter sailboats in the Virgin Islands with family and friends. Joe was known for his unshakeable and warm demeanor, subtle and witty humor, and reliability. The Oliver house served as the center for all holidays and special occasions over the decades, and Joe took great pride and happiness from filling his house with good food and “fine people” (as he would say). His death is a profound loss felt by his family and friends. May he find blue skies and tailwinds on his final flight West.
A memorial of Joe’s life will be held at 3:30 pm on February 1 in the HM Patterson Arlington Chapel. Flowers will be accepted, or tribute gifts can be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
