Joseph Dudley Zook

Joseph Dudley Zook, Jr., died on April 9, 2017, of heart failure. He was 95 years old. Joe was born in 1922 and grew up in Highland Park, Illinois. Following high school graduation, he enlisted in the V-5 pilot training program and won his wings at the Naval Air Station at Pensacola, Florida, graduating as a second lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps. He then completed SBD dive bomber training, Landing Signal Officer school, and F4U Corsair fighter training, becoming a qualified aircraft carrier pilot. He served aboard the carrier U.S.S. Block Island (CVE 106) as a night-fighter Landing Signal Officer, participating in campaigns in the Philippines, Borneo, and Okinawa.At the end of World War II he returned to the U.S. and married his high-school sweetheart, Kathryn Lattimore Seese. Thanks to the G.I. Bill, Joe completed a degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue University in 1949. The majority of Joe's career was spent with American Hoist & Derrick Co., Inc., a Fortune-500 company that manufactured heavy-duty cranes. Starting out in the northern Minnesota Iron Range as an engineer, he worked his way up to corporate vice-president. He retired in 1982. He and Kathryn then moved from St. Paul, MN, to Sun City, AZ. Joe loved golf, and he served as the vice-president of the Sun City Men's Golf Association. He and his friend, Matt Carvey, launched the South Golf Course beautification project, and over a ten-year period they planted and nurtured over 600 treesDuring their 65 years of marriage, Joe and Kathryn raised four children. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Catherine, in 2002, and by his beloved wife, Kathryn, in 2011. He is survived by his son, John Zook, daughters Caroline Carnes and Margaret Beer, and by grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a great-great granddaughter. Joe's life truly spanned the great events of the 20th Century. He grew up during the Great Depression, served in World War II, then completed an education. Through his talent and hard work, he helped create the machinery that built this country after the war. He was much-loved by his family and friends, and will be remembered for his tenacity, humor, generosity, and grit. We will miss him forever. Following Joe's wishes, no services will be held. Contributions in his name can be made to hospice or to the Salvation Army.