- Date Of Birth: June 10, 1916
- Date Of Death: February 10, 2017
- State: Illinois
Joseph (Joe) W. Dame, age 100, of Freeport, IL, went home to his Lord and Savior on Monday, February 10, 2017 at the Presence St. Joseph Center in Freeport, IL. He was born June 10, 1916 in Freeport, IL, the son of the late James and Ida Buelow Dame.
Joe grew up and graduated from high school in Freeport, and in 1943 was drafted and served in the U.S. Army in Italy during the remainder of World War II. He was on a ship in the North Atlantic when he learned that Allied forces had invaded the beaches of Normandy.
He met his wife of 73 years, Virginia McKenney Dame, at a roller rink when he was stationed in St. Louis before his overseas deployment. They were married on September 8, 1943. After Joseph returned from his tour in Italy, they moved to Freeport, where they lived for the remainder of their long lives. In 1949, Joe and Virginia built a new house at 17 Monroe Court and lived there for the next 64 years, until moving to a long-term care facility in 2013.
Joe worked for many years on the Illinois Central Railroad, ending his career as a conductor. He had fond memories of train travel, including as a teenager when he and his mother took the train to Chicago for the 1933 World’s Fair. Later as a railroad conductor, he would share stories of taking the train to Chicago and catching a ballgame by his favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field. He loved reading books and watching movies about all aspects of railroads. In their younger years, Virginia and Joseph traveled all over the United States, and in their later years enjoyed wintering in Florida together.
Joe loved to golf, watch baseball games on television, and enjoyed baseball spring training games at various sites around Florida. He was a camera buff and loved taking photos of their various travels around the U.S. On his 100th birthday last June, Joe was thrilled to be interviewed for local television’s Today in the Port program. He was looking forward to celebrating his 101th birthday with a picnic in Krape Park this summer. His beloved wife Virginia preceded him in death on January 2, 2017.
Joe is survived by his brother, Royal Dame of Sierra Vista, AZ, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
