Joseph Defley, Jr.

Joseph Edward Defley, Jr., born in Chicago, Illinois on July 12, 1931, lived most of his life in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. He peacefully transitioned to eternal life in Reserve, Louisiana, surrounded by family at the age of ninety-one on Monday, September 19, 2022.

Joseph is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Welsh Defley; by the children of his first marriage, Laura Marie Defley (Steve) Kinsey, Mark Wooton Defley, Michele Defley, Michael Cowan (Leslie) Defley, and Paula Sue Defley; by his grandchildren, Eliza Maria Defley, Sarah Jane Defley, and Emma Claire “Emile James” Kinsey; by his stepchildren, Elizabeth Ann Gleason, and Cheryl Claire Gleason (Matthew) Harrington; and by his friend and Eucharistic minister, Warren Treadaway, who lovingly supported him spiritually in his later years. His father, Joseph Edward Defley, Sr., his mother, Margaret White Cowan Defley, his sister, Letitia Darling Defley, and his former wife, Josephine Ann “JoAnn” Wooton Defley predeceased him.

Joseph proudly served our country in the Korean War and Cuban Missile Crisis and eventually retired as a lieutenant colonel from the United States Marine Corps. He was also an attorney and founded the Defley Law Firm in Port Sulphur, Louisiana, where he served the people of Plaquemines Parish.

At his request, Joseph’s burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. A celebration of his life will be by invitation only. In lieu of flowers, please honor and thank those who serve to protect us.