Published: May 05, 2008 11:31 am         

Joe C. Blocker

Sept. 6, 1927-May 2, 2008

Joe C. Blocker, 80, of Goshen died at 4:10 p.m. Friday, May 2, 2008, in Greencroft Healthcare following an illness.

A service celebrating Joe’s life will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Goshen at First United Methodist Church with Pamela Kling officiating.

Committal services with military honors will follow at Syracuse Cemetery with Larry Smith, Chuck Immel, Thad Immel, Ed Kinney, Bill Bloss and Kegan Shriver serving as pallbearers. Charlie Harris and Gary Eastlund will be honorary pallbearers.

On Monday, May 5, friends may visit with the family from 2 to 8 p.m. in The Meetinghouse at Greencroft to fellowship and share the many memories of Joe. Memorials may be directed to the Goshen Noon Kiwanis Club, the Elkhart County 4-H Fair or the Goshen First United Methodist Church.

Joe was born Sept. 6, 1927, in Marion to Carl and Harriet M. (McGraw) Blocker. He was a graduate of Marion High School and the Indiana College of Mortuary Science in Indianapolis. Joe proudly served his country in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict.

On Aug. 30, 1964, in the Goshen First United Methodist Church, Joe married Violet M. (Mather) Jefferies. Violet passed away on April 26, 2007.

Joe began his career in funeral service with the Raven Funeral Home in Marion during high school. After graduation from mortuary school, Joe served for four years in the Air Force. Following his military career he helped his mother run Harriet Blocker’s Dress Shop in Elkhart. He then worked for the Hartzler-Gutermuth Funeral Home located in Elkhart that had a chapel at 506 S. Fifth St. in Goshen.

In July of 1963, Joe teamed up with Charlie Harris and purchased the funeral home that became Blocker-Harris. Joe enjoyed serving the Goshen-area families in their time of need until he sold the funeral home to Gregory Hartman in 1997.

Joe also owned Maple City Moving and Storage. Joe was elected to serve as Elkhart Township trustee, a position he held for many years. He was also a 45-year dedicated member of Kiwanis International.

One of Joe’s great loves was his farm and horse racing. He bred, raised and raced Standardbred racing horses. Joe spearheaded bringing harness racing to the Elkhart County 4-H Fair. He proudly served on the Fair Board as director from 1976-95 and was president of the Fair Board in 1970. In 1995 he was grand marshal of the fair parade.

He served as chairman of the Indiana Trotter, Pacer and Horseman’s Association from 1981-86. He was director and chairman of the Board of Indiana Standardbred Association inducted in the association’s Hall of Fame in 1999.

Joe is survived by two daughters, Kathy (Larry) Smith, Kingsley, Mich., and Jeanne Ann (George) Peed, Bourbon; two stepdaughters, Nancy (Chuck) Immel, New Paris, and Jennifer Rowdabaugh of Elkhart; a stepson, Robert L. Wilson, Goshen; and nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Edward Blocker, and a grandchild, Chad Immel.

The Hartman Funeral Home-Blocker Harris Chapel handled the arrangements.