MR Joel John Obituary (1935

Joel (Joe) John McCracken, 79, of Yakima, passed away May 6, 2015 in Yakima. He was born to Robert L. and Cleo (Estes) McCracken on November 20, 1935 in El Reno, Oklahoma. Coming from the Oklahoma dust bowl and the depths of the Great Depression, Joe has always been very tough, very strong and very loyal. He was always the best friend you ever had, but if you messed up, he'd make sure you knew it and that he expected more of you. Because he knew you were capable of more. On February 1, 1958, Joe married Janice Darlene Klockhamer in Naches, WA at the Presbyterian Church. Going on 58 years of marriage, they have three children: Kim Marie, James William and Timothy John. Over the years Joe and Jan have kept their roots in the Yakima Valley including Naches, Yakima and Selah. Joe always worked in construction; his first job in the trade being laying and finishing hardwood floors for United Builders. From there he became a brick mason by trade, carpenter, home builder and generally worked in all aspects of building and construction. During the height of Joe's working years, Joe and Jan decided to embark on a journey. That journey took them to Alaska. They lived in Alaska for two summers while Joe worked on Homer High School and Soldotna Middle School. They loved every minute of their time in Alaska including fishing until midnight on the Kenai River and meeting their friends at Sourdough Sal's. Later in his career, Joe was honored with the privilege of teaching young contractors in all aspects of home building. Joe always took his position as a mentor and teacher very seriously. Along with their kids, extended family and too many friends to name, Joe and Jan always loved to be outdoors. They loved boating, fishing, water skiing, snowmobiling and just generally spending as much time as possible with the ones they love. Later in life, of course again with endless friends and family, Joe and Jan loved watching Mariner and Seahawk games and rooting for the home team through and through. For fun Joe always loved visiting the casino and generally talking about how much he was winning. But conveniently, he never mentioned the losses. Joe was a wonderful man and was loved deeply by his family and friends. Joe is survived by his wife Jan of 58 years; daughter Kim and son Jim and his wife Debra; grandchildren Katie, Jamie and Corey Johnson, and Jake Bigby and his wife Lindsay; great grandchildren Braxton James Ortiz and Ellis Jane Bigby; his brothers Ellis his wife Kim and Travis McCracken, sisters Dora Lee Tate, Zelda May Anderson, Myrtle Cargile and Francis Cowels, and numerous loving cousins, nieces and nephews. Joe was preceded in death by son Tim McCracken and grandson Samuel Bigby Memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 9, 2015 at Shaw & Sons Funeral Directors, 201 N. 2nd Street, Yakima, WA 98901. As a show of appreciation in his memory, and in lieu of flowers, the family has requested that you make a donation to the Memorial Foundation, "Cottage in the Meadow," 2701 Tieton Drive, Yakima, WA 98902. A special thanks to Yakima Memorial Hospital, Cottage in the Meadow and all the nurses and staff that provided loving care and support over the last few weeks.