Dr. Joe was born on February 19, 1945, in Atlanta, Georgia. He passed away peacefully on August 2, 2024. He was 79 years old.
Dr. Joe earned his BS from Davidson College in 1967 and was on the wresting team. He went to medical school at Duke University. He joined the Army and headed the OB/GYN departments in Nurnberg, Germany. Later, he went on to head the OB/GYN department at Walter Reed Hospital before going into private practice at Montgomery General Hospital. During his career Dr. Joe delivered more than 3000 babies.
Dr. Joe met his wife Bette at Duke University Hospital where she was a nurse. They were married at Duke Chapel and the family moved to Germany. In 1979, Dr. Joe and family returned to the states where he opened his OB/GYN practice at Montgomery General Hospital in Olney, MD.
Dr. Joe loved boating on the Chesapeake Bay, spending time in St. John, USVI, and Sunset Beach, NC. He was a devout member of St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Olney, MD. Dr. Joe was kind, dedicated, and hardworking. Over the past 24 years he valiantly battled Parkinson’s disease. He was unbelievable resilient and kept a positive attitude. His motto was “Never Give Up.”
Dr. Joe is survived by his wife Bette, his three children Joe Buffington II., Witt Cobb, and Francie Cobb Wright, his eleven grandchildren Lily, Jeb, Grace, Emily, Katie, Daniel, Andrew, Cameron, Trever, Nate, and Daphne. Visitation will be held Thursday, August 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Barber Funeral home, 21525 Laytonsville Rd, Laytonsville, MD 20882. The funeral Mass will be held Friday, August 16 at 10 a.m. at Saint Peter’s Church 2900 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. Olney, MD. A reception in the family home afterwards at 1 p.m., 21020 Layton Ridge Dr. Laytonville, MD. In lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Michaeljfox.org. Online condolences may be expressed at barberfhlaytonsville.com.