Joseph B. Fries

Joseph B. Fries, longtime El Paso resident, died September 11, 2015. Joseph (Joe) was born in Illinois on November 7, 1929 to Joseph C. Fries (1890-1972) and Norma L. Schaefer (1892-1959) and raised in Wisconsin, Colorado and New Mexico. He joined the Army in New Mexico in 1947. His army service included serving as a weapons technician during the postwar Japanese Occupation, then serving as an infantryman in the Korean War where he was seriously wounded and awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart and combat Infantry Badge; and then serving as a missile system instructor and course planner at Fort Bliss. After retiring from the Army in 1960 as a Chief Warrant Officer, he entered the Federal Civil Service where he served primarily as an analyst in Combat Developments System. He retired again, this time as a Department of the Army Civilian (DAC). During this period, he earned two Master’s Degrees. He was preceded in death by his first wife Katherine Nistas and his sister Arlene. He is survived by his second wife Maria Christina Fierro and his brother Walter J. He is also survived by his three children Joe N. (Loraine), Norma J. (Rita) and Mary K. (Mickey). Religious Services will be held at 11:00 am, on Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at The Anglican Cathedral Church of Saint Francis-470 Eagle Drive, El Paso, Texas 79912, followed by a burial with full military honors at Fort Bliss National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Humane Society of El Paso or to The Anglican Cathedral Church of Saint Francis.The family would like to thank the staff at Cima Hospice who cared for Joe. Services are entrusted to Sunset Funeral Home-West.