Joseph Caswell Rosa (Jody), passed away June 2, 2024 at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia after a brief serious illness. Jody was born in Mobile, Alabama on August 12, 1942. He spent most of his life on the Gulf Coast.
In his early years he was a salvage diver in the Gulf of Mexico. He was a missile technician with the Army in the Pacific, later contracting in the Atlantic. For a while he was ATF revenuer at Jack Daniels distillery in Tennessee.
After Jody earned his degree in political science at University of South Alabama, he was the city planner for Biloxi Mississippi. He also moonlighted as Red Cross volunteer supervisor of all coastal hurricane shelters.
Jody was an innovator all his life. He took up scuba when it was developmental, as also with missiles. He enjoyed and sometimes profited as entrepreneur, introducing video games, rodeo, internet, and mufflers to the coast. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina wiped out his home and Biloxi too, Jody moved to Washington state in 2005.
'Gentleman Joe' always enjoyed people and set them at ease with his affable nature. He was an avid gamester who persisted at bridge and trivia.
Joseph is survived by children Joseph Caswell Rosa jr, Elizabeth Lenore Hooks, and Christopher Michael Rosa, and by a handful of siblings. His remains will be interred by family in Mobile Alabama.
There will be a brief private ceremony near his residence city of Olympia. For those interested in details please contact Brad Rosa at 360-496-3395.
