Joseph Kerry Daniels
Retired US Army Sergeant Joseph Kerry Daniels passed away suddenly at home in Shorewood IL, Friday, May 3, 2024 at the age of 38.
Survived by his parents Kerry and Robin Daniels of Shorewood, his former wife Anastasia Daniels and their son Mason Daniels of Geneva IL, his maternal grandfather Robert Marcum of Cincinnati OH, his sisters Tracey (Daniel) Rowe of New Port Richey FL, Lesley (John) Wojdyla of Naperville IL, and Jessica (Michael) Vollmer of McHenry IL, numerous nieces and nephews, and an English black Labrador retriever named Hawk.
Preceded in death by his paternal grandparents Joseph and Helen Daniels of Shorewood and his maternal grandmother Jimmie Faye Marcum of Cincinnati OH. Joe was born in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and spent the first 2 years of his life in Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf. He attended Troy Schools and Joliet West High School graduating with the Class of 2003. While attending high school, Joe started work at Expert Optics in Shorewood and became a certified optician with The American Board of Opticianry in 2008.
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In 2011 Joe scratched an itch he had since high school and joined the Army at age 26. He completed 10 weeks of basic training at Fort Jackson in Columbia SC where he stood out among the mostly 18 year old recruits. He then completed 20 weeks of advanced individual training at Fort Gordon in Augusta GA in Computer/Detection Systems Repair essentially becoming an IT professional. Joe was then assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) WA from where he deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEN).
Joe spent 10 months in Afghanistan based at the Kandahar Air Field (KAF). He returned to JBLM and medically retired from the Army in 2014. Joe inherited his father’s love of baseball and the New York Yankees. Joe and Kerry would travel to one or more cities every year to attend Yankees ball games and tour the city. The highlight of these trips came in 2022 when Joe and Kerry were present in the Texas Rangers Globe Life Field to watch the Yankees Aaron Judge hit his historic 62nd home run. Joe and Kerry attended the Yankees/Brewers series in Milwaukee days before Joe’s passing.
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Visitation will be held at Carlson Holmquist-Sayles Funeral Home & Crematory, 2320 Black Road, Joliet IL, Tuesday, May 14th from 3 to 7 PM. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, May 15th at 10 AM with military honors and interment at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery to follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations to the Very Important Pooches (VIP) Service Dog Foundation, PO Box 638, Hinckley, IL 60520 (866-439-3362) would be appreciated. For information, call (815) 744-0022 or visit www.CHSFUNERAL.com.
