HARTFORD, Ky. — Joe Ball, husband, father, grandfather, and uncle, 80, of Hartford, transitioned from this life on Aug. 30, 2024. He was born Sept. 5, 1943, in Hartford, to the late Arvin and Margaret Bartlett Ball.
He attended Hartford High School and graduated with the class of 1962. Joe enlisted in the Army in 1968, proudly serving in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division, Delta Company.
On May 2, 1968, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal of Valor for outstanding performance of duty on April 24, 1968, when his unit came in contact with an enemy force during a search and destroy mission. On May 21,1968, he was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds he received in action on that mission in the Republic of Vietnam.
Following his honorable service, Joe completed his apprenticeship in Sheet Metal Local 96 while working at Ford McCormick Plumbing and Heating in Owensboro Kentucky.
In 1975, Joe founded Lighthouse Heating & Cooling in Hartford. After 32 years of faithfully serving the Ohio and Butler County areas as a business owner, Joe went on to serve his previous and new customers at his son’s HVAC company, Four Star Mechanical, until his full retirement in 2022.
He loved the Lord and was of the Pentecostal faith.
In addition to being a master sheet metal craftsman, he was an avid sports enthusiast. Specifically, he loved basketball, which he had refereed, baseball, which he had umpired, and most recently softball, which he traveled to watch his granddaughter play. When Joe wasn’t working or attending a ball game, his passion was buying, working on, and selling trucks, interacting with his neighbors, and was well-known for being a master prankster.
In addition to his parents, Joe was preceded in death by his sister, Sue Proctor, and brother, Ray Ball.
He is survived by his bride of 61 years, Wanda Smith Ball. His legacy lives on through his two children, Bentley (Corrie) Ball and Brenna Ball, and two grandchildren, Jaron and Jenna Ball. He was the proud and loving uncle to his nephew, Larry (Marsha) Smith; niece, Sheila (Sam) Chinn; great-niece Kendra (Kris) Fleener, great-nephew Steven Phelps, and his great-great-nieces and -nephews.
The family would like to express their sincere thanks to the staff at Owensboro Health and to Joe’s personal caregiver, Sharon Daniel, for their care and compassion.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend Joe “Papa Joe” Ball’s Celebration of Life on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. Visitation will be from Tuesday, Sept. 3, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Sept. 4, from 9 a.m. until the time of the service at Bevil Bros. Funeral Home in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, with Pastor Randy Hollis presiding. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery in Hartford.
Online condolences may be made at bevilbrosfuneralhomes.com.