Joe McRorey was born July 3, 1955, to Vernon and Laverne McRorey in Valliant, Oklahoma. His childhood was very bleak. As each of the children got old enough, they went to work and their money went to the family. In the summers that they didn’t go to Oregon to pick pole beans or strawberries, they were put into a cotton field with their mother to either hoe or pick cotton. When Debbie met Joe, he was living at home with his mom and four younger siblings. His dad passed away the previous year. His youngest brother at the time was Little William and he was born with Downs syndrome and then developed leukemia. William was four when he passed away on March 30, 1972. Joe didn’t handle his passing very well, Joe provided a lot of care to him during his illness. Joe and Debbie married on September 22, 1971 in Levelland, Texas. “Bo” Joe was born in 1972. Joe worked odd jobs here and there and decided that he should join the Air Force. He left for basic training in San Antonio on March 20, 1973. From there, the family went to Wichita Falls, TX, Shepard AFB where he got his technical schooling for communications. Paul was born in 1973. Joe’s first duty assignment was in Oklahoma City, Tinker AFB where he worked as a switchboard operator. He was later transferred to Reese AFB in Lubbock where he worked as a commsec accountant. From there, the family moved to Ankara, Turkey for two years working at Balgot AFB and then Hill AFB in Ogden, Utah where Sean was born in 1979. He then received orders to Norton AFB in San Bernardino, California where the family of five spent 4 years. All these years in the Air Force, he spent his time as a Communications Computer/Support Operator. It was in California that he wanted a new career field and wanted to go into recruiting. After recruiting tech school in San Antonio, he was a recruiter in Amarillo TX for the enlisted side starting in 1985. After that, he became a supervisor in recruiting that gave him his own flight in Albuquerque, NM. As time drew near for his desire to retire from the Air Force, he became a specialized recruiter for the officer’s side recruiting doctors, nurses, PA, NP. After that, he retired on May 31, 1993 having served a little over 20 years.
After retiring from the Air Force he had a short stint with recruiting nurses in the civilian sector and then went to work with Eddins Walcher. He later worked with AT&T for a while before officially becoming retired.
Joe and Debbie divorced in 2014. Though they remained friends, he spent the last 10 years living alone.
Though retired, he became a kindergarten teacher for his youngest grandchild during the Covid pandemic in 2020.
Joe loved his family and will be missed by the many who love him.
Joe McRorey is survived by children, “Bo” Joe (Tony) McRorey Jr., Paul (Teresa) McRorey, and Sean (Michelle) McRorey; siblings, Lemuel McRorey, Arnetta Pike, Stacy Ewald, Carl Nordine, Verna Jordan; grandchildren, Aron McRorey, Shane (Tuesday) McRorey, Kara (Kris) McElhaney, Ariel McRorey, Skylar McRorey, Allen McRorey, William McRorey, Abigail McRorey, Conor McRorey; great-grandchildren, Cheyenne Gaskins, Annabelle McElhaney, Lillian McRorey, Oliver McRorey.
He is preceded in death by parents, Vernon McRorey and Dorothy Lavern Nordine; great-grandchild, Noah McRorey; siblings, Dennis McRorey, Loelan McRorey, William McRorey, Joyce Kingsley, Beryl McRorey, Lonnie McRorey.
He left this world on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
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