Joe Cervantes

Asheville Joseph Romero Joe Cervantes, 81, of 83 ODonald Road, went to be with his Lord on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 at his residence. Mr. Cervantes was a native of San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation and had resided in Western North Carolina for the past 20 years. He retired from the U.S. Army where he served in the Special Forces with the rank of Sgt. First Class and also retired as a Patrolman with the Fayetteville Police Department with the rank of Sgt. He was a veteran having served during the Korean War with the U.S. Marine Corp. and the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army. He was a son of the late Atanasio Servin Cervantes and Saladad Estebani Morales Cervantes. Surviving are his wife, Carol Rose Winarsky Cervantes; daughter, Marie C. Smith of Columbia, SC; son, Tracy Cervantes of Fayetteville; grandsons, Bryant Johnson of Columbia, SC and Tyrone Smith of Seekonk, MA and 4 great grandchildren. Memorial services will be held 10 AM Wednesday, November 21, 2012 in the chapel of the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery with Rev. Steve Oxner officiating. Military burial rites to be conducted by the Buncombe County Veterans Council Memorial Team with burial to follow in the State Veterans Cemetery. The family will receive friends immediately following the services at the State Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family request that memorials may be made to: Feed the Children, P.O. Box 36, Oklahoma City, OK 73101 or The Canine Companions for Independence, P.O. Box 446, Santa Rosa, CA 95402-0446.