Willis Sykes

Joe Sykes, 83, of Blairsburg, died Sunday, March 6, 2011, at the Israel Family Hospice in Ames. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 11th, at the United Church of Christ Congregational in Blairsburg with Rev. John Wilson officiating. Visitation will be at the Foster Funeral and Cremation Center from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, March 10th. Willis Joe Sykes, son of Clarence and Marie Abels Sykes, was born on April 17, 1927 on his parents' farm south of Blairsburg. He received his education from the Blairsburg schools. On April 19, 1952, he married Erma Berneil Plahn in Dayton. The couple lived and farmed in the Blairsburg area. Joe was still active with farming until the fall of 2010. Joe is survived by daughter Linda Sykes of Kalispell, MT; son Michael Sykes of Bayard, NE; son and daughter-in-law Brian and Rhonda Sykes of Nevada; daughter and son-in-law Christy and Carl Geraci of St. Louis, MO; grandson Cameron Geraci of St. Louis, MO; and sisters Shirlee Easton and Clara Behrens, both of California. Joe was a member of the United Church of Christ Congregational of Blairsburg and the Antique Tractor Club. Joe enjoyed restoring and showing antique tractors; rebuilding small engines; helping restore the opera house in Blairsburg; spending time with his wife, children, relatives, and friends; and teaching his grandson how to drive a tractor. Joe is preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Roy and John; four sisters, Lucille, Eva, Jeanette and Leona; and wife, Erma Berneil Sykes.