Last Known Activity:
JOCA Stephen - Paul Joca, age 60, of Orange Park, Florida, died Friday, June 1, 2007, of leukemia. Born March 4, 1947, in Gainesville, Florida to John and Mary Joca, Steve grew up in Jacksonville Beach and attended local public schools, graduating from Fletcher High School in 1965. He earned a B.S. in Journalism in 1970 and a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1979, both from the University of Florida. He was a Professional Engineer and a partner in the Civil Engineering firm of Stone, Joca and Mahoney. He was a Naval pilot and retired in 1997 after serving his country for 27 years, obtaining the rank of Captain. Captain Joca's career included a tour in Vietnam and serving as Commanding Officer of Naval Aviation Depot 0474 at NAS Jax. Steve was predeceased by his father, John G. Joca, Sr.
Steve was deeply committed to community service, volunteering with Quigley House, Habitat for Humanity, Boy Scouts, Clay County Public Schools, Clothes Closet, American Red Cross Lifeguard Corps, and many other organizations. He was an active member of Asbury United Methodist Church, Orange Park, Florida. Services will be held Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 11:00 a.m., at the church, located at 16 College Drive, Orange Park. Donations are encouraged to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for cancer research.
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Published Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Beach ceremony honors lifeguard's memory
Lifeguards, friends and family gathered for a solemn ceremony Sunday morning honoring the memory of Stephen Paul Joca, a former member of the American Red Cross Volunteer Life Saving Corps.
The ceremony began on the shoreline at the corps' station at the foot of Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville Beach. Several lifeguards and a coxswain rowed Joca's ashes out to sea in a small dory boat and scattered the remains into the ocean.
Joca, 60, died June 1 from leukemia. He had a 27-year career in the U.S. Navy, rising to the rank of captain, and had also been a Jacksonville Beach lifeguard.
Joca had long-standing connections to the Beaches and was a 1965 graduate of Fletcher High School.
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