Memorials › Joseph "Joe" Vasko
Joseph "Joe" Vasko
24 Jun 1941 – 12 Mar 2025
| Birth | 24 Jun 1941 |
| Death | 12 Mar 2025 |
| Cemetery | Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery Spanish Fort , Baldwin County , Alabama , USA |
| Added by | Ann Berry McNair on 14 Mar 2025 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/280728125 |
Bio
Funeral services for Mr. Joseph Vasko will be conducted at 11:00 AM, Monday, March 17, 2025, at New Hebron Baptist Church with the Reverend Andy Fullington officiating. Interment with full military honors, provided by the United States Navy Honor Guard, will be at 11:00 AM Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at the Alabama State Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spanish Fort, AL. Mr. Vasko, age 83, entered into the eternal rest of his Lord, Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Jackson. Saulters Moore Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements. The Vasko family will receive friends Monday, 1 hour prior to the funeral service, beginning at 10:00 AM at New Hebron Baptist Church. Pallbearers include Mike Verinder, Austin Williamson, Randy Shivers, Sambo Nuckles, Dean Banks, and Ronnie Chavis. Bobby Lee and Caleb Verinder will serve as honorary pallbearers. Joseph Vasko was born on June 24, 1941 to Jerry and Eunice Dana Vasko in Boise, Idaho, and as he proudly proclaimed, "raised just off the Fish River in Fairhope, Alabama". He exhibited a strong work ethic as a young boy, earning the meager sum of 50 cents a day working weekends as a "chicken plucker" for a neighbor couple on their farm. In addition, he also gained experience winding copper at the Vasko Motor Company. This early experience laid a foundation for his lifelong career as an electrician, which he began after completing his military service. A true patriot, Mr. Vasko enlisted in the United States Navy, rising to the rank of E-5. Following his honorable discharge, he embraced his vocation as an electrician with the paper mill, starting in Fairhope before eventually moving with his young family to New Hebron. There, he worked for many years at the St. Regis Paper Company, contributing his skills to the community he loved. Throughout his life, Joe found immense joy in his family and in nurturing the younger generation. Known affectionately as "Smokin' Joe," he coached boys' softball, instilling values of teamwork and sportsmanship in the youth he mentored. His love for family was also mirrored in his passions, as he cultivated delicious peaches and maintained a large garden, sharing the fruits of his labor with neighbors. Joe also enjoyed hunting and fishing, and he was passionate about his beloved Alabama Crimson Tide. Mr. Vasko was a faithful member of New Hebron Baptist Church, where he served as deacon, former Royal Ambassadors youth leader, and team member on several missions trips. Mr. Vasko is preceded in death by his wife, Patricia L. Vasko; his parents, Jerry and Eunice Vasko; and his brother, Robert Vasko. His memory will forever be cherished by his daughters, Joanie Vasko Verinder (Mike) of Allen, TX, Donna Vasko Roberts (the late Redmond) of Canton; sisters, Barbara Kostelecky, Carolyn Kostelecky, both of Silver Hill, AL, Lillian Dittman of Fairhope, AL, Jo Ann Bridges of Birmingham, AL and Mildred Easterling of Euless, TX; grandchildren, Cammie Jo Williamson (Austin), Brooks Michael Roberts (Kayla), Caleb Riley Verinder and a great-granddaughter, Harper Kay Roberts. Published by Saulters Moore Funeral Home, Prentiss, Mississippi.
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