Joe Don Cortese

Joe Don Cortese, 55 of Fort Sumner, NM died Thursday, June 17, 2010 in Clovis, NM. Born December 17, 1954 in Fort Sumner one of three children born to the home of Gerald Don and Lou Ann Barfield Cortese. Joe Don attended Fort Sumner Schools where he participated in Football, Basketball, Track and FFA. He operated the Fort Sumner Ice House for his family beginning at age 9, during his high school years he worked with his family at Valley Feed and Grain where he helped his father and uncles operate the feed mill. Following graduation he attended New Mexico State University for two and a half years. He married Mae Romero in Fort Sumner on March 8, 1980. Joe Don worked in the aircraft restoration industry. For several years he restored aircraft for High Plains Aircraft at the Fort Sumner Industrial Park and Mesa Valley in Los Lunas , NM. He also worked doing automotive paint and restoration with Windell Bridges in Fort Sumner; Dennis Glass Auto Body in Amarillo, TX; Affiliated Foods in Amarillo, TX where he painted their trucks and operated the towing service and Jimmy Fincher Body Shop in Amarillo, TX. In 1995 Joe Don and Mae returned to Fort Sumner where he worked with his brother at Cortese Feed. He drove a truck and worked in the feed store. Joe Don was a member of the First Baptist Church in Fort Sumner. He loved his family first; enjoyed building models, working or tinkering on old vehicles and fixing things. Joe Don is preceded in death by his father Gerald Don Cortese on June 14, 2009; his niece Mercy Cortese; paternal grandparents Joe and Edith Cortese and maternal grandparents J.K. and Thelma Barfield. Survivors include his wife Mae Cortese of Fort Sumner; four sons Sam Cortese of Carlsbad, NM; Jon Cortese of Carrollton, TX; Jesse Cortese and Sheree Turner of Loving, NM; Casey Cortese of Fort Sumner; one daughter Carrie Cortese of Carlsbad, NM; a special niece Kelsey Romero of Fort Sumner; his mother Lou Ann Cortese of Fort Sumner; brother Knox Cortese and wife Elaine of Fort Sumner; sister Edie Smith and husband Gary of Dyersburg, TN; sister Debi Weaver and husband Steve of San Francisco, CA; two grandchildren Jon Deagen Cortese and Ja’Neava Cortese both of Fort Sumner; his grandmother Zela Cortese of Clovis and Mae’s parents Jerry and Leticia Webb of Fort Sumner. Also surviving are several nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and many friends. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM, Monday, June 21, 2010 from First Baptist Church in Fort Sumner with Rev. Nathan Lawrence and Mr. Gary Good officiating. Burial will follow in the Cortese Family Plot, Fort Sumner Cemetery. Pallbearers will include Gary Smith, Paul Webb, Lee Koll, Jeff Pope, Mack Dan Winn and Glenn Boyd. Honorary bearers will be Jon Deagen Cortese, Ja’Neava Cortese and all his many friends. All arrangements are under the direction of Chavez Funeral Home, 830 N. Fifth Street; Fort Sumner, NM. (575) 355-2311. To place an online tribute or sign the guest book, please visit www.chavezfuneralhome.com