- Date Of Birth: April 16, 1940
- Date Of Death: May 28, 2017
- State: West Virginia
Joseph R. Gillispie
Gunsmith, husband, father
Joseph R. Gillispie, 77, of Kingwood, passed away Sunday, May 28, 2017 at his home with his family around him.
We have enjoyed the many memories, the laughter, his blue eyes, and his deep voice as he sang in church. Joe’s charm radiated as he entertained folks while he carved the amazing flintlocks from blocks of curly maple wood. The gifted man regaled many stories of our culture and history as the wood shavings dropped to the earth. Traveling for thirty plus years throughout our state and the US, Joe Gillispie was an ambassador for West Virginia. He was a vivid storyteller and an excellent craftsman. Joe often said, “You gotta find humor in everything you do.” The crowd around our booth at the Craft Shows joined in laughter at his jokes and tales of Appalachian history.
Joseph R. Gillispie was born April 16, 1940 at home in Canaan, West Virginia. His parents, Robert and Effie Gillispie raised Joe and his sister, Fern, on the family farm in Upshur County, WV. A graduate of Buckhannon/Tennerton High School, Joe continued his education at Potomac State College where he met his wife of 54 years. They resided in Preston County where they had three children, Timothy and twins Katherine and David. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Monongalia County.
The Gillispies were enthusiasts of early American history and discovered the joy of black powder rifles. Hunting and pioneer crafts had been a part of both their families’ heritage. Firing the muzzleloader ignited more than the black powder! Joe began making powder horns and Melva created jewelry from horn, antler, and antique ivory. The family business “The Horn & Antler Shop” began the summer of 1973 demonstrating, teaching and honing their crafts of Gunsmithing, Hornsmithing, Silversmithing and Scrimshaw. The family has traveled extensively promoting and marketing for West Virginia and our early Historical Trades at the height of the American Arts & Crafts Movement. Stories of the HUNTS with Joe’s rifles in Africa, the mountains of Canada, and the Wild West have made exciting entertainment for the clientele of The Horn & Antler Shop.
Whether it was around a campfire at Rendezvous, a craft fair, inside Tamarack, A Safari Club Inter-National Conference, or a school presentation, Joe entertained the public with enthusiasm of the thrill of the hunt, the tales of the past, the history of our forefathers, and the knowledge of our Mountain Culture. He had the ability and skill to create a work of art from a block of wood, various metals and animal products such as horn, antler, claws, pre-act ivories. Joe was a schooled metalsmith and silversmith painstakingly cutting and shaping the inlays and patch-boxes to depict the Masters of the past. As a marksman, he guaranteed his finished rifles fired with accuracy.
Dressed in hand-stitched buckskins, Joe would entertain the public as he worked on a block of curly maple skillfully carving a Flintlock rifle using simple hand tools. His blue eyes would twinkle and his deep voice would resonate in the craftsman tent. Memories are what we have. Joe passed away after an extended illness of Parkinson’s Disease. We have lost a “One of a Kind” West Virginia legend. Treasure the laughter and remember, Joe said, “You gotta find humor in everything.”
His sister Ramona Fern Osborne and parents Robert and Effie Gillispie preceded him in death. Joe is survived by his wife Melva Ervin Gillispie, retired Preston County Art teacher; sons, Timothy and wife, Melissa; David and wife, Carolyn; and daughter, Katherine and husband James Crim; four grandchildren, Scott and Tyler Dixon and Abigail Gillispie and Mick Crim; brother-in-law Michael Ervin and wife Stephanie; Uncle Seebert and wife Susie.
