Joe Danford, Jr.

Joe Danford Jr., 87, of DeSoto, Texas passed away on April 3, 2017 in Dallas, Texas. He was born in the Florida Panhandle near the city of Wewahitchka, on September 28, 1929. He was the youngest child born to Daniel Joseph and Mary Rena Danford. Joe attended school in Panama City, Florida and graduated from Bay County High School in 1947. He enlisted in the US Air Force where he proudly served from 1947 to 1967. Joe was part of the Strategic Air Command for both the Department of Defense and the US Air Force. From 1965 to 1967, he distinguished himself by meritorious service as Bombing Navigation System Supervisor as part of the 454th Bomb Wing. He retired from the Air Force in 1967 with the rank of Senior Master Sergeant.   Joe then attended The University of Texas at Arlington and obtained a BBA in accounting. This lead him to his second career as a Certified Public Accountant. The US government Internal Revenue Service employed him for 12 years before he opened his own practice in DeSoto. Joe served his cliental for 27 years during which many of his clients became friends. Through his practice, Joe met and married Julie Rollin on January 15, 1998 at the Lancaster Court House in Dallas County. Joe was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed camping, fishing, and hunting with his family and friends. He had a lifelong love with the outdoors and was always planning his next outing. He relished time spent at his hunting lease in Graham, Texas and fly fishing at Bennett Spring State Park, Missouri. Joe especially enjoyed two outdoor adventures with his family. The first was a trip to Nebraska and Wyoming where he and his two sons fished for trout and hunted for prong horn. And, the second was when he lived the dream of being flown into Labrador, Canada in a float plane, so that he could fly fish. Joe was preceded in death by his parents Daniel Joseph and Mary Rena (Fountain) Danford and siblings: Gussie Danford, Russell Danford, Mildred Hudson, and Wilma Mills. He is survived by his wife, Julie P. Danford; son/daughter-in-law, Joe and Diane Danford of Wewahitchka, Florida; son/daughter-in-law, James and Karen Danford of Weatherford, Texas; 5 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. A celebration of Joe’s life will be held on Friday, April 21, 2017 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Julie’s Corner Art Gallery & Studio: 527 W. Wheatland Road, Duncanville, Texas 75116. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be sent to Trout Unlimited: First Cast Program at P.O. Box 7400 Wooly Bugger, West Virginia 25438-7400 (Note: Honorary to Joe Danford)