Joseph "Joe" McGrath

Joseph “Joe” McGrath, age 63, passed away on August 26, 2024, at PeaceHealth Whatcom Hospice House in Bellingham, Washington. Joe was born on November 9, 1960, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where his father worked as an engineer for the Atomic Energy Commission. Joe was the ninth of eleven children, and shortly after he was born, the family moved to a bigger house in Knoxville, where Joe’s two younger siblings were born.

After graduating from Knoxville Catholic High School in 1979, Joe enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. During the Reagan administration, Joe was assigned to Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), the “Nighthawks,” based at Quantico, Virginia, where he attained the rank of Corporal E-4. As a crew member of the presidential helicopter support squadron, Joe met many foreign dignitaries (but the only one he ever mentioned by name was Princess Diana). After leaving the service, Joe moved to the Pacific Northwest where he worked as an electrician in the logging industry until illness necessitated his retirement.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Everly John and Doris McGrath, and his beloved dog, Max. He is survived by his ten siblings: Kathy McGrath, Patrick (Jessie) McGrath, Mary (Willis) Green, Mike (Loretta) McGrath, Tom McGrath, Tim McGrath, Joni (Carl) Coniglio, Margie (Robert, Jr.) McCroskey, Dorothy McGrath, and Rebecca (Steve) Crescenti, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Joe’s family would like to thank the wonderful medical staff at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham, Washington, as well as the hospice team at PeaceHealth Whatcom Hospice House, for the excellent care they provided Joe during his illness and in his final days.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, September 9, at 11:00 a.m. (PST)at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 1110 14th Street, Bellingham, Washington, with a small reception afterward in the conference center across the street. Family and friends will meet 10:45 a.m. (EST) Saturday, September 14, 2024, at Calvary Cemetery 1916 Martin Luther King Blvd. Knoxville, TN 37915 Deacon Joe Stackhouse officiating. Full military honors provided by the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard.  Condolences may be left at www.mynattfh.com