Joe Batista Gho Sr.'s Obituary
Mr. (Croca) Joe Batista Gho, 85, of Broken Arrow, passed away on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was born to Mr. Reno (Pietro) Gho and Mrs. Julia Angelina (Demilio) Gho on September 29, 1937, in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Joe grew up in Clarksdale, MS where he attended school until his senior year. He quit his senior year and joined the United States Air Force (USAF). He was an Air Force veteran from 1955-1959 where he learned to be an Airborne Radar Repairman.
He did not obtain a degree but attended the following colleges, Memphis State University, Mississippi State University and Tulsa Junior College.
When Joe was discharged from the USAF, he returned to Clarksdale, MS where he farmed cotton and soy beans with his father. Later, he farmed cotton and soy beans with his brother, Charles for several years in Tunica, MS.
In 1961, he was married to Walterrene Sanderson and they were together until her death in 1984. They had two children, Joe Jr. (Joey) and Renee.
In December 1964, Joe moved the family to Tulsa, OK so that he could attend Spartan School of Aeronautics and received his A & P Certification.
In 1965, Joe began working in the aerospace industry for McDonnell Douglas in Tulsa. He spent most of his work life with McDonnell Douglas which was perfect because he always had an interest in airplanes. He had many work assignments and worked on many different airplanes while employed with McDonnell Douglas from 1965-1970 and 1976-1992. His main job was an electronics repairman technician. He spent many years on a special aircraft that trained our US Navy for warfare. He had to have a special security clearance to work on this program that at times was highly secretive. He traveled the world going to many countries and many naval bases throughout the world. He would always bring back bells from around the world for Renee’s bell collection.
One of his favorite stories to tell about his travels throughout the world was the time, in the late 1980’s, while in London, England he convinced one of his crew members to ask the guards in front of Buckingham Palace if they could go inside. The guard said to come back the next morning, which they did. The guard took their cameras and took them inside to the Queen’s office area only. They stayed a few minutes asking several questions and then left. He said it was a weird feeling just walking across the courtyard with all the people watching them and wondering who those guys were.
Some of the other interesting places he visited while traveling was Mt. Etna volcano in Sicily, the big statue of Christ the Redeemer while in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and while in Scotland the Loch Ness, but did not see Nessie.
After leaving McDonnell Douglas in 1992, Joe held a variety of jobs until retiring in 1998.
In 1986, he married Frances Reed, and with this came a wonderful blended family. Frances was a loving wife for 36+ years and a wonderful caretaker until the end. Joe stated marrying Frances was the greatest thing that could have happened to him. He was devoted to his family and enjoyed family time, especially holiday gatherings. Some of the best memories were when he and Frances had a backyard swimming pool where they entertained many family and friends.
Joe was very proud of his Italian heritage and his father, Reno came to America from Italy in 1912 at the age of seven. Joe loved Italian food and was well-known for his meaty spaghetti sauce. He would make a huge pot of spaghetti sauce and would share it with family and friends throughout the years.
Joe’s favorite pastime was working crossword puzzles for hours and had a love for football especially OU football. Joe played football at Clarksdale HS and while he was in the USAF. After he was honorably discharged from the USAF, he had several opportunities to try out for college football teams but a knee injury ended that dream.
Joe was a baseball coach for many years for his son’s teams where he impacted many young men. He started coaching baseball when he volunteered to coach Joey’s 7th grade baseball team when there was no one to coach and went on to coach teams until Joey’s 11th grade. He was always up for a good game of catch whether it was with a baseball or football.
Joe was a fix-it kind of person. If something broke or needed repair whether it was mechanical or electrical, he would do his best to fix it or some how find a way to rig it where it worked again. He had a gift of putting things together without reading the instruction manual. His garage and tools were always well organized.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Mary Elizabeth Gho Haley, Gloria Jean Gho Porter, brother Charles William Gho, and wife Walterrene Sanderson Gho.
Joe is survived by his loving wife, Frances, his son Joe Gho, Jr., his daughter Renee Gho Kennedy and husband Mike, stepson Kelly Reed and wife Brenda, stepson Randy Reed and wife Cathy, grandchildren, Ashton Gho, Andrea Donovan (Jeremy), Ali Dickinson, Amy Thompson (Drew), Erica Jo Womack (Zac), Tyler Reed (Amanda), Tyson Reed (Ashley), Taylor Reed (Melanie), Caley Reed Madalone (Justin), Caleb Reed (Kayla), Abby Reed, and fifteen great grandchildren.
He leaves his family and friends with unforgettable memories and loving stories. He will continue to be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. There will be no funeral service but a short graveside memorial on August 4th at 11:00 am at Floral Haven Cemetery Rose Chapel.
The family requests that any donations be made in his honor to the Clarehouse in Tulsa at www.clarehouse.org/donate/.
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