Joe Roy Lemley

October 16, 1954 - July 5, 2020

Joe Roy Lemley, 65, of Tulsa, passed away on Saturday, July 4, 2020 after a long and heroic battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Joe was born October 16, 1954 in Tulsa to Dr. Joe W. Lemley (founding superintendent of the Tulsa Technology Centers) and Wanda (Trimm) Lemley. Both of Joe's parents were well-known and long-term Tulsa educators. Joe also counted at least six members of his immediate family as educators. Joe graduated from Memorial High School in 1972 and attended both Northeastern State and Tulsa Universities. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity at T.U. Joe met the love of his life, Linda Moffett, at Northeastern State, and they married in 1977. Joe's career as a dental lab technologist making gold crowns and hand crafted porcelain teeth took Joe and Linda to Hot Springs, Arkansas for a short time. They returned to Tulsa where he established Lemley Royal Crown & Bridge, and where Linda began teaching at Edison High School. Joe joined the ranks of his family of educators for a short time when he taught the first dental technologies classes at Tulsa Tech. Joe was creative and artistic. He made jewelry, fishing lures and iconic/symbolic religious art pieces, many of which are considered museum quality. When Joe could no longer make his "works of art" teeth for Tulsa area dentists, he began attending daily the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges to lift weights with his still strong arms, to make friends, to minister to other physically challenged people and to create wall paintings. Linda made an extra sandwich for Joe to take to the center, so he could share with the less fortunate. Being isolated at home from the center during the COVID-19 pandemic was Joe's greatest emotional challenge as he thrived on human association and truly loved others. During this isolation, Joe enjoyed his conversations with his blue Quaker Parrot, Betty Lou. He also loved reclining in his scooter in his back yard where he loved the sun, landscape and nature's animals and birds. Joe was predeceased by his parents, grandparents Elijah and Betty Faye (Shinn) Trimm and Dennis Herbert and Nola (Garrigus) Lemley, uncles Roy Robert Trimm and Richard Eddy and Aunt Betty (Sparkman) Trimm. He is survived by his wife Linda, sister Dr. Judith Lemley Holt, brother-in-law Don Holt, niece Alexi Klenda, nephew Dr. Jordon Holt M.D. (Yuejuan Li), great-niece Jade Holt and great-nephew Jonah Holt. Joe is also survived by his Aunt Laura Eddy and her three daughters, first cousins Becky Ford (Hurley), Chelle Cook (Tom) and Julie Rokalas (Mark). A graveside service will be held 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, July 8 at Calvary Cemetery. After the graveside service, Joe will be buried next to his mother at Calvary Cemetery in Tulsa. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Joe's memory to National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges, or American Diabetes Association.