Obituary of Joseph F. Rockey, Jr.

Joseph F. Rockey Jr, 74, passed away peacefully after a short battle with cancer on August 19, 2021 in Columbia, SC. He was born to Joseph and Betty Rockey Sr (Toronto, OH) on October 31, 1946 in Steubenville, OH.

Joe graduated in 1964 from Catholic Central High School in Steubenville, OH. He spent 26 years in the United States Air Force, where he served his nation honorably and retired as a Senior Master Sergeant (SMSgt). His service saw him stationed stateside and overseas in Vietnam, Thailand, England and Germany. His most notable accomplishment was his role as key member of Program Management Team (Avionics) for the F-22 Raptor. After his retirement from the Air Force, Joe took what he called a “less stressful and more relaxing” job tending to the grounds on the golf course at Shaw Air Force Base. There he combined the skills that he had refined during his career in the Air Force along with enjoying a round of golf. Joe was keen on time management and hard work and loved nature, watching the sunrise over the golf course every morning brought him much joy.

Joe loved to travel and experiment with recipes he had found online or on television. He had traveled to every state in the US and had been a patron on 21 cruises to various other places with his wife of 23 years, Sandra Rockey (Kovach). His other hobbies included Sudoku, crossword puzzles, and cheering for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Joe is preceded in death by his parents; his grandson, Zachary Roberts; nephew, Rick Zengler; and niece, Lisa Imhoff-Spoor.

Joe is survived by his wife, Sandra Rockey; his children, Joseph Rockey III (Marla) of Steubenville, OH and JoAnn Roberts (Fred) of Newport News VA; his sisters, Cynthia Zengler of Columbus OH and Nancy Imhoff (David) of Lacrosse WI; his 7 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Services will be held at Thompson Funeral Home at Greenlawn Memorial Park on Thursday August 26, 2021 at 2:00pm. A visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the service at 1:00pm.