Joe A. Fry Jr. born October 20, 1963, passed away April 12, 2022

Corrections Officer II Joe A. Fry lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.  Sergeant Fry was diagnosed last November with cancer and without treatment the doctors gave him two months to live.  During the past six months, Joe staged a valiant fight – never giving up hope and amazing the doctors with his upbeat and positive attitude as he underwent several aggressive treatment options.  At one point in early February, Joe felt he should return to work because he believed he was letting his team down, especially when it came to completing the NCIC checks for the Record's Department.  Joe's can do spirit was greatly appreciated by his co-workers on the overnight shift, and he was always willing to take the time to listen and provide sound advice to those around him.

Joe started at EDCF as a COI in November 1992 and transferred to WWRF in December 1994.  He promoted to Corrections Specialist I at WWRF and continued to work there until he left the KDOC to attend school in January 1998.  Joe moved to Texas and worked various security jobs, volunteered as an EMT, and spent several years working at a Juvenile Correctional Facility.  Joe returned to Kansas and came back to work at EDCF in June 2011, promoting to COII in December 2012.  Joe frequently said his heart belonged to the KDOC and he should have stayed with us from the start but he was happy he found his way back.

Everyone who had the chance to work with Sergeant Fry has a Big Joe story, "Big" not only for his stature but for his ability to take often serious events in his life and turn them into a laugh, usually at the expense of himself to make others feel better about things they were going through themselves.  I have many stories I could share but the one showing just how lighthearted Joe was happened last week when I went to visit with Joe and his sister, Jovey after hospice was started and we wanted to make sure all of his end of life needs were in order.  When the conversation turned to the possible need to locate his birth certificate, from memory Joe rattled off the address of the State Office in Topeka and said if we gave him a few minutes to get ready he would drive us to pick up a copy.  Jovey said he would scare us to death as he was not in any condition to drive, he told her she was a worse driver than he and she was not even sick!  Their carefree banter was constant, Jovey often reminded Joe he was the best birthday present she ever received as he was born one day before her first birthday.  Jovey said she could not have asked for or received anything better than her baby brother Joe

Plans for a celebration of life will be made for later this summer.