Passed away on October 6th, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Gloria Young Lott, three daughters: Noel Bird, Alexis McNece, and Nikki Pilato, and four grandchildren.
He was born in Mobile, AL in 1943 and awarded his PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1971. He retired as VP of R+D for Clayton Corporation after more than 20 years of service.
SERVICES: A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church of Crestwood (9916 East Watson Rd) on October 29th at 2:00 pm, with visitation at 1:30 pm.
I work in the nursing home Joe resided at. I knew him for 3 years. That said, I have so many fond memories of him. Joe was a sweet man who was always willing to give anybody a big bear hug. He also had a great smile. Everybody knew Joe. Although Joe couldn’t communicate that well, I still always felt a connection when i was talking to him. No story about him that I would hear from his wife was ever surprising. It sounded like Joe exactly. He will be deeply missed. My deepest condolences to Gloria, Noel, Alexis, and Nikki. It has been an absolute pleasure and I wish you all the best. Joe is no longer suffering and at peace. Your commitment to him is admirable and I know he loved you all. May Joe’s memory be a blessing. May he rest in peace. Goodbye Joe-Joe. It was great knowing you.
Joe gave me my first job out of college (1987), to come in and help drive computer aided design (CAD) into the “touch-n-foam” products. His mentorship drove me toward a long and rewarding career in engineering in the medical field for over 35 years now, and many of those years, I was fortunate to work in the same building as Gloria, so I could catchup with Joe stories. He was such a caring man professionally and personally, and I know he is in a good place now.
Joe was my friend, golfing buddy, and neighbor in Four Winds Farm. He had a sweet swing. Lord, was Joe smart. I was puzzled by how from earth one could measure the distance to a galaxy 10 light years away. Triangulation I understood but earth is too small for that method to work at light year distances. So I asked Joe. Mike, he said, a method called “parallax” is used and it works like this: I won’t bother to explain Joe’s reply as I am sure you already knew this. Joe worked at U. S. Paint 20 years before I did. There he developed a line of paints called “Awlgrip”. Awlgrip is the standard even today for paint finishes on yachts all over the world. Joe was a great scientist and a great friend..
Terry and I are so sorry about Joe’s passing. He was a wonderful person and always had a smile on his face for everyone. He was a wonderful husband and father and no doubt an all around great man. We know he had suffered and are glad he is at peace. With love and sympathy Gloria and to your family , your are all in our prayers.
Joe was a graduate student at USM and I was a young freshman chemistry major. He took me under his wing, introduced me to his great new fraternity on campus, SAE! Had a great relationship with Joe for my 4 undergraduate years as I entered graduate school in organic chemistry also. Draft lottery got me before I finished but Joe always told me to come back to finish my degree. Such a kind and gentle man who was always willing to listen and help. Been using his Awlgrip invention on boats for years! RIP my brother! We have the watch!
I worked for Dr Joe at Clayton Corporation and he was brilliant. Doc taught me so much, and because of him I’ve been blessed to have a great career in Quality. I have thought of him and spoke of him over the years…he made a difference in my life. I’m so sorry for your loss Gloria, please know you and your family will be in my prayers. He always spoke of you and the girls, he loved his girls!