Joseph Peter Hale II passed away on August 5, 2026, after a brief battle with cancer. Joe was born in Roanoke, Virginia on January 17, 1954, to Virginia and Kermit Hale, native Virginians who instilled him with a love and pride of the state. He graduated from the University of Virginia (1976) where he was president of the Delta chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He went on to complete master's degrees in psychology at Virginia Tech (1982) and systems management at Florida Institute of Technology (1990).

A shrewd engineer even before his formal training, Joe took pride in solving complex problems. In his 36 years as a NASA engineer at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, he led many projects in both human factors and systems engineering, including early virtual reality work with the Virtual Innovations Laboratory in the 1990s and developing NASA's Integrated Model-Centric Architecture in the 2010s. Joe loved going to work every day and would let everyone he talked to know how proud he was to be part of humanity's exploration of the universe.

Joe also co-founded the Tennessee Valley Chapter of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFRES) and served as President of the Huntsville chapter of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE). He was especially proud to have co-authored the Model-Based Enterprise Capabilities Matrix as part of his work with INCOSE, a tool that has gone on to be used by agencies across the country and around the world.

An Eagle Scout who spent his childhood roaming the outdoors with his brother Kit, Joe never lost his awe for nature or his appetite for the wild life, spending his free time scuba diving, skiing, hiking, and rafting with his children Heather and Zachary and friends in the Huntsville Ski Club and Southeastern Divers Incorporated. Joe even traveled through Zimbabwe and South Africa earlier this year, where he went on safaris and visited Victoria Falls.

After 37 years in Huntsville, Joe retired to Lake Arrowhead in Waleska, Georgia where he found another loving and supportive community in his neighbors and bridge partners.

He was preceded in death by his father Kermit Hale, his mother Virginia Cooke, his stepfather Randolph F ("Butch") Cooke, and his nephew Samuel Lucas Hale.

He is survived by his daughter Heather Quinn (Alex), of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, son Zachary Hale (Lily Puckett) of Brooklyn, New York, brother Kit Hale (Betsy) of Roanoke, Virginia, niece Libby Azzarello (Mark), grandchildren Thomas and Owen, and numerous other cousins and loved ones.

A memorial will be held on August 22, 2026, at Currie-Jefferson Funeral Home in Birmingham, Alabama. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Rocket Center Foundation.