Joseph Mark Surkin passed away on Thursday, March 23, 2023, with his wife and children by his side. He was born on July 2, 1960, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was preceded in death by his parents Alvin and Kitty. Joe is survived by his wife Katharine and his children, Adam (Leian), Mary Kate Dalton (Davis), Joseph, and his bonus daughter Samantha (Cai). The lights of his life were his grandchildren Shelby and Evelyn Surkin, Mark Dalton, and Carson and Charlotte Richardson. He is also survived by his brother Lee (Valerie) of Pennsylvania and numerous cousins.
Joe was a transplanted southerner of nearly 40 years. Joe’s career started in Fayetteville, N.C., where he was a paramedic. He moved to Jackson and began working for the State Health Department where he retired after nearly thirty years. He conducted important research in spinal cord injuries and worked in epidemiology and health informatics. He was passionate about his work and remained dear friends with his colleagues.
Joe would not want to be defined by his cancer diagnosis, but you could not truly know him without knowing his fighting spirit. He fought courageously throughout his entire illness. He was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in October 2011 and kept smiling throughout his entire battle, even when no one else could.
As passionate as he was about his work, he was even more passionate about Mississippi State Athletics. He was a season-ticket holder for football and went to as many baseball games as he could. It was fitting that the Multiple Myeloma ribbon was maroon. He was a bulldog through and through and bled maroon in all the ways that counted.
When he moved South, Joe joined the Jackson Rugby Club where he made lifelong friends in the OBIG. He also loved playing golf, woodworking, and being a general “Tim ‘The Tool Man’ Taylor” for anyone who needed his special skills.
Joe was an active member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral for over 30 years, where he met and proposed to his wife. He served on the vestry, as junior and senior warden, and was an active member of the championship cooking team, The Holy Smokers.
He spent many maroon Fridays at Jackson Oncology. The family would like to thank his original doctor, Grace Shumaker, Dr. Thomas Williamson, his favorite nurse practitioner, Rachel Greer, and all those nurses who provided constant care to him.
The family would also like to express their heartfelt thanks to the entire staff of Kare-In-Home Hospice, especially Chloe, Amanda, and Neta, who made his final week as peaceful as humanly possible.
A Celebration of Joe’s life with The Holy Eucharist will be held at 2 pm on Monday, March 27 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral. A visitation will be held prior at 1 pm at St. Andrew’s, and a reception will follow the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those who wish to express their sympathy consider memorials to St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral, David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering, or their charity in Joe’s name.
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