Joe Willaford
Biography by Matthew Cles
Joe Willaford was born in May 1933 in
Oklahoma. He had three brothers. He went to school
for a full education. After high school he went to
college for a few years. Halfway through college he
was drafted into the army. At the time, he wanted to
be an Air Force pilot but he was admitted into the
army before he was accepted into the Air Force. Two
of his brothers were also in the military. He served his
enlistment fighting in the Korean War, at the
conclusion of which he left the military. When he returned home, he
finished college and then later worked at the Boeing Aircraft Company.
He was at Boeing for forty-four years. All through his life Joe raised
cattle and he loved it.
According to his wife, Marilyn, Joe was a happy person. He was a
good father and husband. He also had a great sense of humor. He helped
work on and design the Tahoma National Cemetery in its early stages,
helping in the decision of where the cemetery was to be built. The
cemetery opened in September 1997 and the information booth was
completed the following May. Joe worked in the Honor Guard and at the
information center. He was on the Honor Guard from the day the
cemetery was founded to the day he became too ill to be out there
anymore. He was one of the first to volunteer. He was very impressed and
always enjoyed it when students visited the cemetery to place the flags on
the graves. He also liked it when the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts came to
the cemetery to help out. He loved the youth. He spent almost eleven
years working at the cemetery. He also played a part in helping the
Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Marilyn remembers Joe as “A kind and generous person.”
Unfortunately, he died of a brain tumor. But everyone that knew him
would say that he lived a wonderful life and that he lived it to the fullest.