Joseph "Joe" Emerson Majors, Jr.

Joseph “Joe” Emerson Majors, Jr., age 66, of Niceville, Florida, passed away unexpectedly in his home on January 29, 2025. 

Joe is preceded in death by both of his parents, Joseph Emerson Majors, Sr and Masae “Mary” Majors. He is survived by his 2 children, Trish Reimer (Nicholas) of Freeport, FL and Ryan Majors who is currently in the U.S. Navy and stationed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His brothers, Danny Majors (Deb) & Richard Majors, his sister, Audrea Feist (Rob), nephews, Daniel (Kayley) Majors & David Majors, and niece, Amanda Feist. Mother of his children, Debbie McLean Laws (Kevin). Along with many other extended family and friends. 

Joe was born November 26, 1958 in Okinawa, Japan. He was your typical military brat, moving to different bases while his father was in the Air Force. They eventually ended up at Eglin AFB and settled in the town of Niceville, FL. At a younger age, he was involved in martial arts and The Boy Scouts of America. He later played football at Niceville High School before graduating in 1976. He joined the Air Force on January 20, 1977 and served for 4 years, until January 19, 1981, to earn the GI Bill and go to college. In 1988, he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the University of West Florida, where he was on the Dean’s List most semesters. After that he worked as a Senior Systems Engineer on Eglin AFB until his retirement in November of 2022. 

On June 28, 1980, he married Debbie and they had two children, Trish in 1984 and Ryan in 1989. Although they later divorced in 1999, they co-parented well and had a great relationship for their kids. 

One of Joe’s great joys was being a Dad. From playing guitar to his children as babies, to being able to coach Ryan for many years in baseball and basketball. He took his family camping and boating often. He even taught Ryan how to water ski before he could ride a bike. As a father, he always instilled in his children the value of an education, and highly encouraged them to pursue as much knowledge as they could. Through all this, he maintained a well balanced schedule and always found time to help out a friend or shoot some hoops, something he also took pleasure in. If you were to ask any of his friends, they would say that his greatest accomplishments in life were his kids. Joe learned at a young age the value of family, but over the years also made many lifelong friends. 

After some severe unexplained weight loss in 2021, right before Ryan was set to be stationed in Hawaii, Joe was diagnosed with Stage 4 Kidney Cancer. He had surgery to have that kidney removed in October. He had some minor complications in March 2022 and had to have another surgery. He battled extremely well and had been in remission ever since. 

In his later years in life, you could often find Joe playing music with friends, planning the next bonfire, or going to Niceville or FSU football games - taking advantage of as much time as he had with those he loved and cared about. Music was one of his all time passions, and there weren’t many days that went by in his life that he wasn’t trying to improve on it. Following the death of his father who was an avid fisherman, Joe seized the opportunity to go fishing in his retired years. It was his way of feeling closer to his Dad. 

Joe will be missed by many, but forgotten by none. His legacy will live on through all those that he leaves behind. 

Please join Trish, Ryan, and the rest of our family for a Celebration of Joe’s Life on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 6pm 

AmVets Post 78 

910 Valastics Ave 

Valparaiso, FL 32580 

A private graveside burial with military honors will be held the prior day, Friday, March 28, 2025.

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