Joseph Eugene Ransom's Obituary
Mr. Joseph Eugene “Joe” Ransom, age 71, passed away Saturday, March 26, 2016.
A funeral service for him is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Monday, April 4, 2016 in Lady’s Funeral Home Chapel. Rev. Leon Hawks will officiate. Interment will follow at the Salisbury National Cemetery at 11:00 am.
The family will receive friends prior to the service on Monday.
On 23 Sept. 1944, Joseph Eugene Ransom was born in Detroit, Michigan. Joe was the fourth child, the third son, of John G. (1918-1989) and Genevieve (Keeth) Ransom. He would have more siblings. As the years went by, we had our own baseball team. Joseph Eugene was the fourth of twelve children, six boys and six girls: Joan, John (Jannet), James (Patricia), Judith (Tom) Maloney (both deceased), Joyce (Ken) Wroblewski, Janice (Dennis –deceased) Hill, Jerome (Pam), Kathleen (Robert) Velasco, Kenneth Michael who is deceased, Richard (Marilyn) and Donna (Kevin) Bass.
Joe was baptized at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Detroit. When the family moved to the east side of Detroit, Joe and his siblings attended St. Catherine of Siena elementary school (1950 through 1958), Franciscan Seminary in 1958-59, and then St. Benedict High School in Highland Park, Michigan, where he graduated in June 1962.
Like his wife, Jo Ann, Joe served in the United States Marine Corps. Joe joined the Marines in 1962 and did his boot camp at MCRD in San Diego, California. Joe was then assigned to Camp Pendleton (I Co. 3rd Battalion 5th Marine Regiment). He shipped over to Camp Schwab at Okinawa; he was a Vietnam vet. After his military tours of duty, he returned to the State and MCAS in South Carolina. He was discharged from there. Three of his brothers were in military service then: John was in the Air Force while brothers James and Jerome were fellow Marines during the sixties.
Following military service, Joe became a firefighter in Highland Park (MI). A Firefighter magazine as well as local news media, once displayed a photo of Joe emerging from a burning home holding a child. In addition to firefighting in his home state, Joe became a captain in Albany, Georgia fire department and served for a time as chief at Blackstock, South Carolina. He then went into private business, running JR and Son Trucking.
Over the years, Joe lived in Michigan, Georgia and South Carolina.
He and Jo Ann Jordan married on 14 February, 1988, that was when Steven, then three, came into our family. Joe’s family of three brought much joy to all of us. Everyone looked forward to when the “South Carolina” Ransoms would come to town.
His family recall his love for Motown music, especially The Temptations and The Drifters “My Girl”, “Under the Boardwalk” were high on his most liked list. Joe loved dancing, cards, going home to see one of his favorite “my girls”, his mother Genevieve (Jo Ann, of course, was his other “My Girl”) and telling stories of his antics growing up. In fact, Joe had planned to see his mom and siblings in Michigan and would have been there with them this week.
Our life and memories with Joe are fond and quite vivid. He has been son, brother, uncle, husband, father and friend. God bless you, Joe!!!
In addition to his father, he was preceded in death by his wife, Jo Ann Jordan Ransom; a brother, Kenneth Ransom; and a sister Judith Maloney.
In addition to his mother, Mr. Ransom is survived by his son, Christopher Steven Ransom of Blackstock, SC; four brothers, James Ransom, John Ransom, Richard Ransom and Jerome Ransom; five sisters, Joan Ransom, Joyce Wroblewski, Janice Hill, Kathleen Velsco and Donna Bass; and brother and sister in-law, Scott and Crsystal Bostian.
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