Joseph W. Dilley
Obituary
Joseph W. Dilley
Longtime Soldotna resident Joseph W. Dilley died Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006, at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. He was 66.
Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31, at Peninsula Memorial Chapel’s Soldotna Chapel (behind Big John’s Tesoro on the Sterling Highway.) Visitation will be held at 3 p.m. Pastor Robert DeVolld will officiate. A gathering of family and friends will follow the services at the Dilley residence. Additional funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Sterry Memorial Presbyterian Church in Roswell, Idaho followed by burial in the Roswell Cemetery in Roswell.
Mr. Dilley was born to Joseph and Agnes Dilley on Nov. 14, 1939, in Pocatello, Idaho. He attended Parma High School, graduated from the College of Idaho and taught in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, as well as Ontario, Ore., before accepting a position in Guam in 1969.
In 1974, he and his wife, Barbara Walsh, were married and raised his three children. Their family moved to Soldotna in 1975 where he taught at Kenai Central, Soldotna and Skyview high schools until, after 33 years of teaching, he retired in 1995.
“Throughout his life, Joe was extremely devoted to his wife, children and grandchildren, teaching them all he loved to do; woodwork, ceramics, fish, hunt, cook, landscape, build and camp in the Alaska wilderness. He was an educated man who could do anything, just like the lyrics in one of his friend’s Hobo Jim’s songs. Though Joe was challenged with numerous health concerns in recent years, he faced them valiantly, retaining his sense of humor, always ready with a joke to make everyone laugh and enjoy life. He welcomed everyone into his home, nurturing a large extended family of friends throughout his life in Alaska,” his family said.
Mr. Dilley is survived by his wife of 32 years, Barbara Dilley of Soldotna; brother, George M. Dilley of Parma, Idaho; daughter and son-in-law, Bobbie and Mike Fergus of Soldotna; sons and daughters-in-law, Joey and Pascale Dilley of Soldotna and George and Susan Dilley of Kearns, Utah; grandchildren, Beth Hoogland of Anchorage, Zachary, Dustyn and Tyler Fergus of Soldotna, Shay Dilley of Soldotna and Jay and Wendy Dilley, of Kearns.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Central Peninsula Health Foundation, 245 N. Binkley St. Soldotna, AK 99669.
Arrangements were made by Peninsula Memorial Chapel.