Joseph Kern

Joseph Taylor Kern passed away on December 31, 2021, in Taos, New Mexico. He was born July 12, 1965, to the late Joseph Chester Kern, III and Helen Bickerstaff Kern Jones.  Joe is survived by his mother, Helen Bickerstaff Kern Jones (Earl Jones), sister, Susan, and her husband Stuart.  He was a very proud Uncle Joe to Susan and Stuart’s children, Lily and Lance Jones. He is also survived by his loving wife, Cindy, and her children Miguel, Veronica and Victoria Silva. Joe is also survived by his Uncle David and Aunt Charlotte Bickerstaff and his first cousins that were always very special to him:  Dale Walker, Meg Cooper, Elliot Bickerstaff, Piper Jansen, and Gretchen Bickerstaff. He is preceded in death by his father Joseph Chester Kern, III and his grandparents, Robert Taylor and Dorothy Bickerstaff, Joe, and Ora Kern. Joe was raised in Forrest City, Arkansas. During Joe’s youth he was active in all things fun. He loved baseball, basketball, duck and deer hunting, fishing for anything and everything, and weekends at the lake water skiing with his family and friends. He also worked many hours and hot summers in construction with his dad. In the late 1970’s, Joe’s maternal grandparents built a house on the White River in Mountain View, and it soon became where his heart lived. He would stay as much as he could there and fish for trout fiercely. It was not rare for him to stay on the weekends and fish on the White, North Fork or Little Red Rivers before returning to a job in the office on Monday mornings. He was a lover of dogs, many dogs, Susie, River, Jaegar, and Sonny, just to name a few. Joe graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Financial Management, where he was a proud member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. It was there and Forrest City where he made his lifelong friends. His career allowed him to live and see beautiful parts of the United States and world. He loved to display pictures of his adventures, and they usually included horns, a mounted head, and sometimes the whole animal or a fly that he had tied and fished with. In his office you could find pictures of his travels from South Africa, The Netherlands, Washington DC-Arlington Virginia, back to Memphis, Tennessee and Northwest Arkansas, but his major love always being anywhere near the Sylamore Mountains.  In early 2000’s, Taos, New Mexico became his new home. He found his soulmate, Cindy, and they married in 2005. They enjoyed the outdoors hunting and fishing together. His final years were with her by his side as his loving companion, partner and wife. Joe fought a private battle with mental illness, his condition, complicated with treatment caused a reaction that we as the family and friends may never understand as long as we are here on earth.  Saturday January 8, 2022, the family will have a memorial service at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. His ashes will later be spread across the Rio Grande and interred in the columbarium at PHUMC with his father. Memorials can be made to the Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers, Inc. Friendsoftherivers.org or mailed to P.O. Box 61, Mountain Home, AR, 72654. Or to the Jimmy Faulkner Basketball Scholarship Endowment Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church phumc.com or mailed to 4823 Woodlawn Drive, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205 The family of Joseph Taylor Kern has entrusted the care of their loved one to DeVargas Funeral Home of Taos. www.devargastaos.com 1-866-657-4019