Dr. Joseph Voss, Sr.

Dr. Joseph Anthony Voss Sr., resident of El Reno since 1969, died Aug. 8, 2020, at his home north of El Reno with his wife, children and grandchildren at his side.

A prayer service was held Monday and Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday with the Rev. Lance Warren officiating.

Both services were at Sacred Heart Church with burial following at Kingfisher Cemetery under the direction of Huber-Benson Funeral Home.

Joe was born Aug. 24, 1939, at the family home west of Okarche and was raised there on the farm.

He attended school at Holy Trinity and graduated from Holy Trinity High School in 1957.

After a few years working at Vieth brothers in Kingfisher, he returned to school and took his pre-optometry courses at El Reno Junior College and Central State University and received his doctorate in optometry from the University of Houston in 1969.

He practiced optometry in El Reno from 1969 to 1993 when he moved his practice to Oklahoma City with offices in Shepherd Mall and Heritage Park Mall. He later established Voss Vision Clinic and Optical in Midwest City from which he retired in 2009 after 40 years of six-daysa-week practice.

He also ran exams at the vision clinics at the Clinton Indian Hospital and Shawnee Indian Hospital.

He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. His strong faith helped him through many difficult challenges in life.

His vision of purchasing property adjoining the church provided grounds for building St. Katharine Drexel Retirement Center at its current location.

He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, Lions Club, El Reno Investment Club and Darlington School Board.

Joe was a humble, strong, empathetic man who loved to visit with his patients, family and friends.

Anyone who had the opportunity to visit with him would often hear him start a story with “To make a long story short…” which it never was.

He was also a generous man willing to help anyone in need.

On Aug. 7, 1965, Joe began a 55-year loving commitment when he married Cecelia Reherman at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Kingfisher.

Cecelia survives him.

He is also survived by their children and their spouses: Elizabeth and Dr. Kenneth Raskin of Caledonia, Wisc., Katherine and Joseph Curry of Atchison, Kan., Joseph Voss, Jr. and wife Noelle Craddock of Snohomish, Wash., and ET1 Michael Voss and Melanie Coffey-Voss of San Diego, Calif.; and grandchildren Theodore Curry, Antonia Curry, Nathaniel Curry, Theresa Curry, Tatum Yule, McKenzie Yule, Zechariah Voss, David Raskin, Alexander Raskin and Adrian Estrada.

His parents Joseph Theodore and Anna Elizabeth (Mueggenborg) Voss, brothers James Voss and Robert Voss, sister Loretta Schaefer, and grandson Jacob Edmund preceded him in death.

Memorials may be made to the Lord’s Harvest and Sacred Heart Catholic Church.