Joseph Wilson HARRELL

Joe was born in Picayune, Miss. on Sept. 28, 1931 the 6th of 7 children. He passed away on Aug. 2, 2013 in Federal Way, Wa. Joe joined the U.S. Air Force in 1950 and served his 4 years in the San Francisco bay area. He was first sent to a small radar sight in Half Moon Bay as a guard. While there he was given the opportunity to become a radar operator. In 1956 he went to work for the CAA, now the FAA. He trained to become an air traffic controller at the old Oakland airport, which was a very small facility. He loved being a controller. One of his supervisor's once said if there was such a thing as a natural born air traffic controller it was Joe. In 1960 the family moved to Oklahoma City so he could teach at the FAA training academy, he stayed for 2 years and returned to Fremont, California where the new Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center had been built. Joe became training officer there for several years and a supervisor before he transfered to Palmdale, Ca. where the Los Angeles ARTCC was located and became a watch supervisor. He was only there for a few months when he was asked to go thru a screening back east to become a Center manager. We moved to the Pacific Northwest in January of 1973 and he went to work in Auburn, Wa. at the Seattle ARTCC as the deputy chief. In 1975 he became the Center Manager for 5 years. Next to being a controller this was his favorite position. Joe retired in October of 1986 and adjusted quickly. He played a lot of golf at Twin Lakes Golf and CC where he made a lot of great friends and had a lot of fun. Joe and Joanne owned 3 different motor homes and had a wonderful time traveling for 19 years. Joe is survived by his wife of 60 years, Joanne, son Glenn (Madeline), daughter Denise, son Steve, daughter-in-law Elizabeth, grandson Ryan (Stephanie), granddaughter, Erin, great grandchildren Caylee and Henry, sister's Margaret Stewart, Dorothy Boegner, brother's Charles (Frances), Ken (Eleanor), and many loving nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother's James and Robert, known as Jack, and his oldest son Jim and son-in-law Steve Klapstein. Joe was known for his great sense of humor. He was loved and respected by all who new him. He will be greatly missed by his family and friends.