Joseph Segal Nettles

He served in World War II from November 27, 1942 to February 16, 1946. He was a Pharmacist Mate Second Class, attached to the Marines. Joe joined the Navy at 15, after a hard fight in convincing his mother that was what he needed to do. Injuries sustained on New Britain Island during the war would lead to skin grafts on his right leg and Achilles tendon and weeks of recovery. During this time, he would receive a Purple Heart which he sent back to his mother for safe keeping.

Joe was proudest of his early years of military school at Jefferson Military College, but always carried the burden of never finishing high school. Throughout the years to further his education he took several classes. After serving in the military, Joe attended Refrigeration School, which he would soon discover was not for him, even though he received the highest grades in the class. He investigated other forms of employment, serving briefly with the US Postal Service as a clerk and a bag handler for Eastern Airlines, all of which would eventually lead him to the engineering field of designing pressure vessels. He started at the bottom and worked his way up. Nothing ever came easy for Joe, he was a self-starter that never gave up when met with a challenge. In the 1980’s when the engineering field was hit hard, Joe decided to start his own business, Southwestern Computer, in which he created a computer program called “Weigh to Go” for designing pressure vessels and sold to small fabrication shops.

Throughout his life he had many likes and hobbies, including playing the cornet. He was a big jazz fan, "Wild Bill" Davison was his favorite. Being the jazz fan that he was, he frequently visited New Orleans (his favorite city) throughout his life. He would go to enjoy the music and the scenery which he would capture through his amateur photography. He also enjoyed a good meal and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend a great restaurant or a favorite dish to friends and family.

Joe embraced his creative side so when he retired he turned his focus to writing fiction. Although it was many hours of struggle and hard work, he finished his first novel “The Senior Year”. He often joked about the irony, seeing as he had never attended high school and didn’t even know what the inside of one actually looked like.

Later he would go on to write his signature novel “The Mystery of the Louisville Star”. He was very proud of being able to complete and self-publish both books. Although he was proud of the accomplishment he had achieved, he remained frustrated with the system for self-published books.

Joe is survived by his beloved wife Roseann and his four children, Terrie, Joe C and wife Cheryl, Robyn and Rosalyn. He is also survived by one grandson, Keith and his wife Mary.

A memorial service will be held at Katy Funeral Home on Saturday, May 25th, 2019 at 3:00 pm immediately followed by a reception at Dickey’s BBQ. A committal service will take place at Houston National Cemetery on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at 11:30 am.