Joseph Gerald Kocherhans passed away from natural causes on August 25, 2020, at the Michael J Fitzmaurice Veterans Home in Hot Springs, South Dakota. He was born September 5, 1929 in Alturas, California. He spent most of his youth in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego. He graduated from La Jolla High School in 1948, and enlisted in the United States Air Force. Eventually he was stationed at Ellsworth Air Force base in Rapid City. Here he would meet his wife and have their first-born son while stationed there. After 4 years of duty, Joe returned to San Diego, where his second son was born, and began work as a Field Technician for San Diego Testing Labs. He eventually earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Engineering from San Diego State University, and worked as a Civil Engineer for Woodward-Clyde & Associates of San Diego. He retired in 1990, and he and his wife moved back to Rapid City. He was an avid outdoorsman, especially when it came to fly-fishing, and tied his own flies. He was also active in The Black Hills Astronomy Club, and helped to build an observatory in Wall, South Dakota. His work took him to many places for varying lengths of time, including Southeast Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; Iran and Peru. He was preceded in death by his son, Steve in 1999, and his wife, Darlene (nee DeCory) in 2014. He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Eileen of San Diego, California; his grand-daughter and her husband, Sierra and Martin Diaz of Long Beach, California, his brother and sister-in-law, Ronald and Beverly Mitchell of Anchorage, Alaska, and his sister-in-law, Lois DeCory Rezac of Rapid City. As per his wishes, there will be no memorial service. He will be cremated and his ashes will be placed alongside those of his wife and son. The family would like to thank the staff at the Veterans Home for the excellent care they provided him throughout his stay there.