JOSEPH FRANK ORAWCZYK, 96, born on 18 Mar 1929 in Chicago, IL; died in his sleep on 20 Jan 2026, in his son’s home in Yermo, CA.
Joseph “Joe” was 11 days old when the first telephone was installed in the Oval Office of the White House. He was seven months old when Wall Street crashed in Oct 1929, and was, therefore, a product of the Great Depression. Joe graduated 8th grade from Brentano Elementary School in Jun 1945, and joined the Great Lakes Merchant Marines in August 1945. In May 1946 Joe left the GLMM and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was trained to develop film in a photo lab. He deployed to Clark Air Field in Manila, Philippines in Sep 1946 and returned to the U.S. in Aug 1948. WW II ended on 31 Dec 1946 by proclamation of the President Truman. Joe was awarded the World War II Victory Medal and was honorably discharged from service in Apr 1949.
Joe returned to Chicago and worked at Riverview Amusement Park on the Shoot-the-Chutes water ride in the summer of 1949. He subsequently found work as a baby photographer, which was his profession for many years. Joe’s secret to make a baby smile was to gently blow on its face.
Joe joined the Civil Air Patrol in 1953 and remained active for about 60 years, with his last service at Auxiliary Squadron 080 in Paris, TN.
Joe married divorcé Sophie Augustin (née Hedrich) on 14 Jun 1961 in Chicago. On 11 Dec 1961, he legally adopted her son Walter (1958-2012) and her daughter Brunhilda (1960). Joe and Sophie welcomed a son, Joseph John, in May 1962. The couple divorced in 1975.
Joe moved to New Concord, KY in about 1993. There he met a lovely widow, Linda Sue Nance (nee Lamb) (1931-2023) at a dance, and they subsequently married in Nov 1994 in Henry County, TN. Joe and Linda Sue lived in Puryear, TN and were members of East Wood Church of Christ in Paris, TN since 2007. There he was fondly remembered as a man who loved being with others and was always jovial. Sadly, Linda Sue passed on 24 Dec 2023. Following her passing, Joe moved to Yermo, CA in Jan 2024 to live with his son, Joseph John, also a widower.
Joe enjoyed carpentry, camping, boating, photography, travel, dancing and eating at restaurants. He is fondly remembered as a humorous flirt who complimented every waitress or nurse he encountered, offering to teach them how to “dance the boogie-woogie.”
Joe was admitted into the Barstow Community Hospital for a UTI, and after he was discharged from BCH, he was enrolled into hospice care in Nov 2025, while residing at home with his son.
Joe is preceded in death by his parents, Franciszek and Anna Mary Orawczyk (nee Galuszka); his brothers Adam and John; his sisters Mary, Geraldine, and Francis; and his adopted son Walter Augustin. He is survived by his son Joseph and his adopted daughter Hilda, as well as 6 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. Cremation was handled by the Highlands Funeral Home of Barstow, CA. Joe will be buried near his dearly departed wife, Linda Sue, at Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Puryear, TN. Interment will be provided by Imes Funeral Home of Murray, KY.
