Mr. Joseph "Joe" Houston, 83, passed away Saturday, April 14, 2012 at his Lake Worth home following an extensive battle with cancer. He was born October 20, 1928 in Sunderland, England to the late Edward & Elizabeth (Maughan) Houston and immigrated to Massachusetts in 1929. He moved to Ft. Lauderdale in 1954. He was a proud United States Navy veteran serving on the USS Missouri and was on board the ship as President Harry Truman went thru the Panama Canal. He was a retired Battalion Chief with the Ft. Lauderdale Fire Department with 22 years of service and retired Fire Marshall with the Broward County Fire & Rescue with 11 years of service. He is preceded in death by 3 brothers, Edward Houston, Matt Houston and Frank Houston; and 1 sister, Margaret Ashe. He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Mary L. (Mickey) Houston of Lake Worth; 3 daughters, Laurie (Scott) McGary of Loxahatchee; Doreen (Bill) Cannon of Kennesaw, Georgia and Kathleen Blandford of Lake Worth; 3 sisters, Mary Feeney; Nora Houston and Catherine Binder; and 4 grandchildren, Michael McGary; Samantha McGary; Derek Blandford and Caleb Cannon.

Funeral Services for Mr. Houston will be held at Noon Monday, April 23, 2012 in the Chapel of Palm Beach National Chapel. Interment will follow at South Florida National Cemetery, Lake Worth at 1:30 PM with full military honors. In lieu of flowers the family suggests making a donation to either the Fort Lauderdale Fire Museum or the American Cancer Society.