Joseph Hoots Jr

Joe Hoots Obituary ? Gateway Joe Hoots 4/3/17 ? 3/16/11. Gig Harbor resident since 1932. He was married to Laura (Severtsen) Hoots for 65 years until her death in 2004. Joe's family, including his sister Evelyn & brother Bill, moved to their home at the head of Wollochet Bay when he was 15. He became acquainted with Laura as they walked along Wollochet Drive to catch the school bus. He graduated with the Gig Harbor Union High School Class of 1937 & married Laura in 1938. Their first home was rented from Parker & Alice Buck on Picnic Point, Wollochet Bay. In 1939 they moved to Shore Acres where Joe & Laura raised their two daughters. From his vantage point overlooking the sound just outside the mouth to the harbor, he loved telling the history of Lt. Charles Wilkes leaving the anchored ship in his captain's gig to explore the "excellent little bay, just right for a gig." Upon returning from trips to places near & far, Joe would be further convinced that Gig Harbor was the greatest place on earth. After working in the Bremerton Naval Ship Yard during the World War II years, Joe began his own little home industry in 1948. Peninsula Cabinet Shop employed two cabinet makers. The business eventually grew into Joe Hoots Construction, Inc. located on Highway 16 and became one of the largest private employers on the Peninsula. Many houses, cabinets & commercial buildings in Tacoma & the Peninsula reflect the excellence in quality that Joe was compelled to produce. Examples of his work remain in the white-pillared-historical-landmark mansion on Soundview Drive, built for Reed Hunt, then Board Chairman of Crown Zellerbach. It was designed to encompass Hunt's modest ancestral home. Even after he closed the business in the early ?70s, many previous customers wanted the "Hoots quality" and returned to Joe when it came time to remodel. A deeply-instilled feeling of responsibility to serve his family, community and nation led Joe to leave a lasting impact on his world. He would call it "a legacy." The Hoots "legacy," including his two daughters & their families, is also reflected in his outstanding community involvement, being awarded the 1987 "Gig Harbor Citizen of the Year." This award has since become the perpetual "Joe Hoots Citizen of the Year Award." Other positions he held include: Peninsula School Board Member, John Paul Jones Lodge Past Master, Peninsula Helmsmen Trustee-Director, Pierce County Planning Commissioner, National Board Director & State Chair of Home Builders Assn., Gig Harbor Maritime Celebration Chairman, Galloping Gertie 50th Anniversary Steering Committeeman, Board Director of Pierce County Good Roads & Transportation Assn., Chamber of Commerce Member, Board Director of Peninsula Historical Society, Private Pilots Assn. Member, Joe & Laura were Gig Harbor Community Parade Grand Marshals. In 1999 US Senator Slade Gorton honored Joe as the 26th District Republican of the Year. Family members include daughter & son-in-law Senator Val & Keith Stevens of Arlington; daughter & son-in-law Rita & Bob Drohman of Olympia; grandchildren, Russell Stevens of Anchorage, Ak, Curtis Stevens of West Plains, Mo, Laurene Turk & Joe Drohman both residents of Olympia, Wa; 16 great grandchildren. Memorial service 2 PM, Sat., March 26, 2011, Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church, 7700 Skansie Ave, Gig Harbor. Interment Haven of Rest Cemetery. Donations to Harbor History Museum, PO Box 744, Gig Harbor, WA 98335. Online notice at www.havenrest.com.