Joseph Cooksey

Wasilla resident Joseph A. Cooksey, 91, died of natural causes May 25, 2007, at Sunrise Manor in Palmer.
A viewing will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Big Lake, with a service at 11 a.m. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. at Angelus Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Edward Pleskun, William Jones, Donald Jones, Brian Tomes, Timothy Kaminski and Jason Derybowski. Honorary pallbearers will be Douglas Jones and Ronald Derybowski.
Joe was born May 5, 1916, in Dentsville, Md. He joined the Army and served overseas during World War II. He met his wife, Helen Rydberg, during a short military tour in Port Orchard, Wash., and they were married in 1942 in Port Orchard.
Joe came up the Alaska Highway with Helen's twin brother in 1948. Their families followed a couple of months later by boat. He worked a short time at the Alaska Railroad and Brady's Floor Covering, then opened his own business, Alaska Floors. He retired the business in the early 1970s.
"Joe enjoyed gardening, traveling, mechanical tinkering and 'creative' cooking which sometimes gave his family pause," his family wrote. "He was a loving father who was always there for his family."
He was a member of the Moose Lodge and for many years enjoyed bowling.
Joe is survived by his son, Robert Cooksey of Wasilla; daughter, Kathryn Kaminski of Clear; daughters and sons-in-law, Laurie and Ron Derybowski of Cedar Lake, Ind., Lisa and Doug Jones of Nenana, and Mary and Ed Pleskun of Scottsdale, Ariz.; 12 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Helen, and eldest son, David.
Arrangements were by Valley Funeral Home in Wasilla.