Edward Joe Haley was born May 13, 1942 in New York City, the son of the late Algie Bell and the late Lenora Brown. He spent his childhood in Suffolk, Virginia where he attended East Suffolk High School. and was part of both the varsity football and basketball teams. From a young age he was always tall and muscular, also his resemblance to Joe Louis gained him the nickname “Joe” which followed him his whole life.
He met the love of his life, Helen, when he was only 15 years old. They were married on July 7, 1962 in NYC. Their union produced two daughters, Kesia & Stacey.
Blessed with a talent for repairing mechanical devices, Joe secured a position with Consolidated Edison as a Power Repair Mechanic after moving to New York in 1960. His skills earned him the highest classification and he was assigned to the special crew that responded to power emergencies wherever they occurred. He retired from Consolidated Edison in 1999 after 36 years of dedicated service.
In about 1995, thanks to the help of his father’s companion, Darlene Ferguson, Joe got to meet his sister Constance Atkins of Philadelphia, PA. The two of them ‘hit it off’ right away, frequently visiting each other’s homes and vacationing together. Later he got to meet all of his other siblings and developed good relationships with them.
He developed a love of Tennis and Golf, winning trophies in 1ocal events and tournaments. He also enjoyed listening to jazz and blues music and entertaining friends.
Joe doted over his grandchildren, Nia, Khairi and Jahmil. They were the joy of his life— doing everything from babysitting, driving them back and forth to school and attending dance recitals, football, basketball and baseball games. His obvious love and care for his children and grandchildren is reflected in the way they adored him. Each one rushed to his bedside when he began to fail and they provided love and comfort up to the very end. It was always his desire to move back to Virginia after retirement and he was able to do that in 2006.
Joe’s life and memory will forever be etched in the hearts of those who loved him: his devoted wife of 56 years Helen; beloved daughters Kesia and Stacey; dear grandchildren Nia, Khairi and Jahmil; and a precious great-granddaughter Jahlani; sister/cousin Loretta; four sisters Constance, Gwen, Claudia, Linda, and Doris (deceased); brother Algie, Jr., sister-in-laws, Aletha AKA Trudy, Jacqueline, and Gwendolyn; brother-in-laws Roland, Larry, Johnny, and Isaac; mother in law Maggie; Niece Chanelle, Goddaughter Kesia and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Leave a Reply