SYRACUSE – Joseph William “Joe” Hughes, 87, Syracuse, passed away at 4:28 p.m. Nov. 7, 2016, at Goshen Hospital. He was born July 6, 1929, in Syracuse, to John P. and Valeria Lucille Hopple Hughes. On Aug. 27, 1949, in Benton, he married Ethel Mae Reed, who survives. He was a lifetime Syracuse area resident and attended Syracuse High School. He was the owner/operator of Hughes Digging Service, Syracuse, for 45 years and formerly worked at Syracuse Rubber. He was a volunteer fireman for the Syracuse Fire Department for 54 years and formerly served as the fire chief. He was a former member of Eagles Aerie Lodge 3760 in Syracuse, commodore for the Wawasee Flotilla in 1989 and Kosciusko County Fireman of the Year in 1966. He formerly served as a board member for the Kosciusko County BZA and the Syracuse Town Council. He is survived by his wife, Ethel Hughes, Syracuse; a son, Kirk (spouse Makeda) Hughes, Fort Wayne; two daughters, Peggy (spouse Brad) Schuldt, Culver, and Brenda Daugherty, Syracuse; nine grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and a brother, Lamar (spouse Caroline) Hughes, Temecula, Calif. He was preceded by his parents; five brothers: John, Jim, Harold “Jesse,” Richard and Tom Hughes; and three sisters: Hattie Adams, Betty Peterson and Ruth “Kate” Rogers. Cremation will take place at Cremation Services of Kosciusko County, Warsaw. Visitation will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Owen Family Funeral Home, 1001 S. Huntington St., Syracuse. Private family services will be at the funeral home with Pastor Ernest Greene Jr. officiating. Private family burial will take place at a later date. ***** Memorials to the Syracuse Fire Department, 8138 E. McClintic Road, Syracuse, IN 46567; or Goshen Home Care & Hospice, P.O. Box 723, Goshen, IN 46527. To send condolences to the family in Mr. Hughes’ memory, visit www.owenfamilyfuneralhome.com.
