George Joseph
Decatur
A Celebration of Life service for George Joseph, 93, of Decatur will be Saturday, June 6, 2009, at 10 a.m. at Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church with Ridout's Brown-Service Funeral Home directing. Burial will be in Roselawn Cemetery. Prayer services for the family will be this evening from 5 to 6, with visitation of friends from 6 to 7:30 at the funeral home. Mr. Joseph, who died Wednesday, June 3, 2009, was born May 17, 1916, in Morgan County to John J. and Sophia Dugger Joseph. He graduated from Riverside High School in 1936. A World War II veteran, he served in the U.S. Army, where he received the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Ribbon. For his service in Japan, he received the Victory Ribbon and one Overseas Service Bar. Prior to and after his military service, Mr. Joseph successfully operated one of the last remaining rolling stores in the United States until his retirement in 2003 at age 87. His own father worked as a peddler and a storekeeper. George carried on the family tradition by delivering groceries, necessities and special orders to his customers in the North Alabama countryside. "Sometimes he is the only person we see for a long time besides our neighbors," said one of his customers in a November 1985 Decatur Daily article about Mr. Joseph and his rolling store. Mr. Joseph's dedication and love of his lifelong customers can be summarized in a quote from the same article, "Seems like I've known these people all of my life. I've never thought about doing anything else. Everybody's got to do something, I just happen to do something I enjoy." Mr. Joseph also loved to be outdoors and work on his farms. He was a devoted lifetime member of St. Ann Catholic Church (Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church). He was also a charter member of the Knights of Columbus. He will be remembered by his daughter and grandchildren as a man with a tremendous work ethic, but also as a man with a generous heart. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife of 50 years, Eva Skipworth Joseph; his brother, Joe Joseph; and his stepson, Cloyd Kyle Campbell. He is survived by his sister, Elizabeth J. Freeman of Decatur; one daughter, Shirley J. Reid of Decatur; one grandson, George Edward Knoblock of Florence; two granddaughters, Terry Lynn Chamness (Tommy) of Moulton and Cheryl Lene Reid (William) of Atlanta, Ga.; four stepgrandchildren; seven great-grandsons, Cory, Justin, Chad, Dylan, Reid, Grant and Nathaniel; three great-great-grandchildren; five nieces and eight nephews. Pallbearers will be Chadwick Gregory Long, Thomas Dylan Chamness, Dr. William Shelton Whitley, Jimmy Braswell Tanner and Timothy Joseph. Honorary pallbearers will be nephews. Memorials may be made to Annunciation of the Lord Catholic Church.