Joseph Andrew Kochefko, Jr.
October 2, 1937 – January 2, 2025
Age 87
Joseph Kochefko was the only son of Joseph Andrew Kochefko and Elizabeth Lillian Pinter Kochefko. He was born on October 2, 1937 and spent his childhood in Bridgeport, CT., surrounded and loved by his extended family.
Joseph trained as a carpenter at Bullard-Haven Technical High School and graduated in 1955. He then served honorably for four years in the United States Air Force as a Navigation Equipment Repair Specialist and was stationed in Thule Air Base in Greenland and Ellington Field n Huston Texas.
He met the love of his life, Linda Sue Roberts, at a dance at the Towering Texans social club in Houston and married her on October 23, 1964. They returned to Bridgeport to start their family and Joe went to work for Sikorsky Aircraft. Two children soon followed.
In the summer of 1973, Joe impulsively quit his job and moved his family to an old farmhouse in Richmond, Maine where they flirted with homesteading. They raised chickens and rabbits and had a huge garden. His children played in the woods and had a wonderful childhood, full of simple adventures.
He worked in the electrical department at Bath Iron Works for many years. After retiring, he and Linda moved to El Dorado, Kansas where he enjoyed his leisure time. He and Linda had recently moved to Louisville, Nebraska.
Joe was active in the Catholic church his entire life. He served as an eucharistic minister, distributing communion to the sick and homebound, and as a lector. He used his carpentry skills to help remodel his church in Richmond. He was always quick to volunteer at the church or help a friend or neighbor. He was a man of great faith who loved God and tried to live an exemplary life.
Joe was a kind, honest and hard-working man who cared deeply for his family. He loved nature and enjoyed hunting, fishing and walking in his pine-filled forest. His hobbies included photography and woodworking. He also enjoyed reading articles in Popular Science magazine and learning how things worked. He loved a treasure hunt, whether it was digging up old dumps, searching with a metal detector or poking through an estate sale. He made perfect scrambled eggs, made-up silly songs and could fix pretty much anything with bits from his “collection” in the attic.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Elizabeth Kochefko. He is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Linda Kochefko; his children John Kochefko and Helen Hamberg; and his grandchildren Joshua Hamberg and Katherine Hamberg.
He will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who knew and loved him.
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