MORAN — Joe R. Chalker, 77, of Moran died on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, at his home.

He was born Jan. 18, 1934, in Parsons the son of Joseph Daniel and Ruby Ingram (Hanna) Chalker. After graduation from Parsons High School, he attended Parsons Junior College, Iola Junior College and graduated from Emporia State Teachers’ College. He received his master’s degree and did post graduate work at Wichita State University. He began his teaching career in Westphalia, and went on to teach at Zillah School, Humboldt; and Oatville Elementary, Haysville. He later served as principal at Campus High School, Haysville; Griffith Elementary, Wichita; LaCygne Elementary, LaCygne; and Crest High School in Colony. During this time, he taught adjunct classes for Fort Scott Community College, and Butler County Community College in El Dorado.

Joe was the first director of the ANW Special Education Cooperative, Iola, ending his career as superintendent of schools at Marmaton Valley in Moran. After his retirement, he taught adjunct classes for Allen County Community College, Iola.

Joe was an elder and Sunday school teacher at the Moran Christian Church for many years. As a young man, he was active in sports and set a scoring record in Kansas collegiate basketball that was unbroken for several decades. Joe loved to travel and recently returned from a cruise to the Bahamas. One of his great joys in his later years was dancing, and he attended many senior dances with his good friend Norma Boss.

His family was of great importance to him and he was very proud of his children, grandchildren and great- grandchildren.

He is survived by his son, Steve Chalker and his wife, Donna, of Dallas; four daughters, Cynthia Jo Chalker of Iola, Shirley Wells and her husband, Michael, of Rose Hill, Barbara Anderson and her husband, Stephen, of Iola and Linda Chalker Kilgore of Ozawkie; seven grandchildren, Benjamin Bockover and his wife, Leah, Cari Jo Bockover, Rachel Bockover, Elexia Kilgore, Ted Kilgore, Jill Kilgore and Nate Wells; three great-grandchildren, Camri Bockover, Delaney Bockover and Ava Doyle-Anderson; a sister, Marie McBride of Garnett; a brother, Wayne Chalker and his wife, Roseann, of Wasilla, Alaska; four sisters-in-law, Shirley Chalker of Parsons, Marilyn May and her husband, Bill, of Cleveland, Okla., Nancy Chandler and her husband, Wayne, of Moran and Ruth Spangler and her husband, David, of Moran.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Ruby Chalker; his wife, Mary Chalker, on June 11, 2007; a sister, Jeanne Griffin; a brother, Hugh Chalker; and a sister-in-law, Luella Cochran.

The service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Moran Christian Church with burial to follow in the Moran Cemetery. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel in Moran.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Joe Chalker Memorial Fund to be used to fund education scholarships at Allen Community College, Iola.

Condolences to the family may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.