Joseph George Booker, age 77, of Mount Vernon, Ohio, passed away on Monday, August 19, 2024, at Licking Memorial Hospital in Newark, Ohio. He was born on January 23, 1947, in Mount Vernon, Ohio, the son of George and Sarah Geraldine (Walker) Booker. Joe was a 1965 graduate of Mount Vernon High School and attended The Ohio State University. He proudly served in the First Airborne 93rd Division of the United States Army in Vietnam.
Joe worked as a respiratory therapist for hospitals in Ohio. He was active in the music community and was commonly known as “Catfish Booker,” performing for numerous bands in the area. Joe loved to study African American History and engaged in the historical side of Mount Vernon and Knox County.
Joe’s passion for history was rooted in his family’s legacy. His grandfather, also named Joseph Booker, was born into slavery in 1854 or 1855 in Beverly, Randolph County, West Virginia. Taught to read and write by the enslaver’s sister, his grandfather’s thirst for knowledge became a family tradition, passed down to his son George Booker and then to Joe himself.
He is survived by his children, Martin Booker of Howard, Tonya Booker of Portland, Oregon, Suzanne Booker of Cincinnati, and Nathan Booker of Phoenix, Arizona, three grandchildren, Cecily Booker, Avery Booker, and Zada Booker. He is also survived by his companion Susan Walker.
Joe was preceded in death by his parents.
A graveside service with military honors provided by the Knox County Joint Veterans Council will be held on September 16, 2024, beginning at 11 a.m. in Mound View Cemetery. The Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home of Mount Vernon is honored to serve the family of Joseph George Booker.
Memorial contributions in Joe’s name may be made to the charity of one’s choice.
To share a memory or leave a condolence for the family, visit www.snyderfuneralhomes.com
Funeral Home: Dowds-Snyder Funeral Home
Website: www.snyderfuneralhomes.com