In Memory: Joe Canoles, Active in Cherokee Theater Company, Knights of Columbus

The following obituary was submitted by Lakeside Funeral Home:

Joseph E. (Joe) Canoles of Woodstock, Georgia died on Dec. 11 following a year-long battle with cancer. He was predeceased by his parents Freddie and Earle Canoles, also of Woodstock, and his father-in-law Anthony Waszkielewicz. He was a member of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, had recently joined the Knights of Columbus and was active in the Cherokee Theatre Company.

Joe was born in Charleston, West Virginia, on Sept. 6, 1943. He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1962 and served as firefighter at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in Marquette, Michigan. In 1973, he was promoted to the position of fire chief at Pease Air Force Base in Dover, New Hampshire. The governor named Joe as the first director of fire services for the state of New Hampshire in 1989.

He was hired by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 1996 and relocated to Woodstock. He retired as FEMA’s national security program manager in 2011 after serving his country for more than 40 years.

Joe is survived by his beloved wife Diane; daughters Jodi Freeman, Cathy (Rob) Recknagel, Lisa (Michael) Groft; son Michael (Anna) Boundy; nine grandchildren; Christopher, Melissa, Ryan, Tylor, Devon, R.J., Jaylynn, Eva, Madison, sisters Jeanne Conquest, Patti Waller; brother David (Rebecca) of Virginia; mother-in-law Vi Waszkielewicz, sister-in-law Barbara (Frank) Mogavero, brother-in-law David (Carol) Waszkielewicz and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 490 Arnold Mill Road in Woodstock. Internment will be scheduled at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Vincent DePaul food pantry at St. Michael’s.

Funeral mass will be held at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church Dec. 20 at 7 p.m.

Photo: Joe and Diane Canoles. Credit: Lakeside Funeral Home