Joseph Ernest "Joe" Boatwright

Joe Boatwright, 93, of Winter Park, FL, stepped into Heaven on February 5, 2024. Born on June 25, 1930, in Tampa, Florida, Joe was a beloved husband, father, and pastor.

The driving passion of Pastor Joe's life was sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, teaching others about the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and emphasizing the importance of prayer. He dedicated his life to serving God and his community. Pastor Joe had a deep love for his wife, Joyce, and cherished spending time with her and with their family.

Joe Boatwright is survived by his wife of 73 years, Joyce Matthies Boatwright, his son Joseph E. Boatwright Jr., daughter-in- law Deborah Crowe Boatwright, daughter Andrea Burch, grandchildren, Joshua Boatwright, Gabrielle Burch, Kimberly Boatwright, Joseph Boatwright, Michael Boatwright, and great- grandchildren, Jude Boatwright, Ezra Boatwright, Gracelyn Boatwright, Berek Ferreira, Kaiya Ferreira and several wonderful nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son Bryan William Boatwright.

In terms of education, Pastor Joe attended, Phillip Shore Elementary School and Hillsboro High School in Tampa, Florida.
He furthered his studies at Stetson University and graduated from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in 1958.

Pastor Joe's career in ministry as a preacher of the gospel began in 1951 when he was ordained by the Palm Avenue Baptist Church in Tampa, Florida. He was privileged to have pastored Whitney Baptist Church in Leesburg, Fl, Crystal Springs Baptist Church in Tylertown Mississippi, First Baptist Church of Mims, Florida and Aloma Baptist Church in Winter Park, Florida. The Aloma Church family owns a piece of his heart.
Mission trips through the years took him to various countries, including Belgium, India, South Korea, Ukraine, Sicily, Canada, Haiti, Jamaica, and many parts of the United States. He also had the privilege of ministering annually to the workers of the Central Florida Fair. Through the years he served on numerous community and ministry boards.

Outside of his ministry, Pastor Joe enjoyed cooking and was renowned for his homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs. He was very proud of his Sicilian ancestry!
He also derived great pleasure from friendships, picnics, telling and retelling jokes and delighted in pulling pranks. Traveling, camping, fishing, reading and refinishing furniture were also some of his favorite pastimes.

Pastor Joe Boatwright's legacy is still being written in the lives of the people he touched.

A funeral service to honor and remember the life of Joe Boatwright will be held on February 24, 2024,10:30 am at Aloma Church, located at 1815 Hwy 436, Winter Park, FL.

The funeral home in charge of arrangements is American Family Funerals and Cremations.

In leu of flowers, contributions can be made to Aloma Church for helping Youth attend summer camp.