Cover, “Joe”
Joseph “Joe” LeRoy Cover, born June 9, 1931 in Modesto, California Longtime Tuolumne County resident Joseph Leroy Cover, died Sept. 21, 2021 at his home in Tuolumne. He was 90.
Joe was born in Modesto to Joseph and Weltha Cover, the fifth of six children. He was raised in rural Modesto on a peach orchard, where his father was a farmer and masseur. His family attended Old Brethren Church. They moved to the Mi-Wuk Village area in 1947 and he graduated from Sonora High School.
Joe ministered at Old Brethren Church until 2020.
Joe married his longtime sweetheart, Carol Hitch, in 1953 and they settled in Mi-Wuk Village. He worked as a tree faller and in 1957, set out on his own and worked as a tree climber and specialized in residential tree work. Joe later earned a California contracting license in heavy equipment and a timber operator license. The couple’s six sons grew up working with their father and in 1988 they incorporated the business into Joe Cover and Sons, Inc. He was active in the tree business into his early 80s.
His family purchased the former Sonka’s Apple Ranch in Tuolumne in 1998 and opened Cover’s Apple Ranch.
Joe enjoyed reading the Bible, dining out with his wife and friends, and going on scenic drives in the mountains. In his youth, he enjoyed hiking.
Funeral Services will be held Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 10 AM at the Old Brethren Church, 19220 Cherokee Road, Tuolumne, California. Burial will follow at Wood Colony Cemetery, 3511 N. Dakota Ave, Modesto, California
Terzich & Wilson Funeral Home entrusted with Funeral Arrangements.
- Date of Death: 09/21/2021
- Age: 90
- Residence: Tuolumne, CA
- Services: Sunday, September 26, 2021 at 10 AM at the Old Brethren Church, 19220 Cherokee Road, Tuolumne, California.
