Joseph "Joe" Milton Hand, Ret. Lt. Col., U.S. Army, 91, of Kissimmee, Florida, formerly of Collegedale, Tennessee, died on December 31, 2012.
He was born in Atlanta on Jan. 31, 1921. He was the fourth of five children born to his late parents, Claudius (Claude) Houston Hand, Sr. and Lillie Snow Hand. He was educated in the public schools of Atlanta, and attended the University of Georgia. When WWII was declared, he was drafted to serve in the U. S. Army, as a medic in the Medical Corp. During his service in the U.S.A. he was a surgical technician and promoted to Assistant to the Chief of Surgery in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, where
he received a direct field commission to 2LT. He also served in the Korean Conflict and continued his service in the Army Reserve until his retirement from service in 1981 having obtained the rank of Lt. Colonel.
After WWII, he married Doris Jean (Marchant) Hand of Dyersburg, Tn., they were married for 61 years until her death in 2007.
Professionally he was a salesman in the food industry traveling throughout the South for various companies, including Borden's, National Oats and Abbott Labs.
He is preceded in death by his siblings, Blanche Morris, Claude Houston ("C.H.") Hand, Jr. and Benjamin Snow Hand.
He is survived by his children, Ronald M. Hand (Ginny) Hand, Kissimmee, Fla., Beverly J. Rambo (Jim), Collegedale, and J. Alan Hand (Loreen), Winter Park, Fla.; nine grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; sister, Cecile Barrett of Griffin, Ga., and several nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held Friday, Jan. 4, at 1 p.m. in the Heritage Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Dwight Herod officiating.
Visit www.heritagefh.com to share words of comfort to the family.
Interment will follow at Chattanooga National Cemetery with full military honors.
The family will receive friends on Thursday, Jan. 3, from 4-8 p.m. at Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 E. Brainerd Road.