Okefenokee Joe Obituary – In Loving Memory Dick Flood The 13th of November 1932 until the 9th of January 2023 Artist, Songwriter, Wildlife Conservationist (“Okefenokee Joe”) (“Okefenokee Joe”). Author of “Trouble’s Back in Town,” among other works. I always enjoyed Okefenokee Joe The news reached me this morning that my friend and guide in many different ways had passed away the day before.
Dick Flood aka Okefenokee Joe was an incredible man. He was a successful musician and singer of country music, and he often collaborated with the most prominent artists of the era. performed for audiences at the Grand Old Opry, while also touring with the USO and playing for audiences in other countries. During one of our conversations, he shared with me the following: “we did it right, there wasn’t any monkey business.”
Dick was also a prolific songwriter, contributing numerous songs to the careers of numerous other well-known musicians. People such as Roy Orbison, the Wilburn Brothers, and even Loretta Lynn are examples of this. DIck made the decision to give up everything and walk away from everything. Before moving to the Okefenokee Swamp and getting a job as a caretaker there, he lived in the Florida Everglades for an entire year.
It was in that place that he assumed the identity of Okefenokee Joe. Okefenokee Joe became a prominent advocate for educational and environmental causes. The teaching of Being Swamp Wise, in which he hosted TWO documentaries about the swamp that won the Grammy Award for Best Documentary, and toured all over to different schools with a truckload of snakes teaching kids about them.
In addition to being a friend, he became a legend in Georgian folklore. Together with John Trussel, I put in the effort to have Dick inducted into the Hunting and Fishing Hall of Fame of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. The most important thing is that we became friends! When our paths would cross at trade shows and other events, we would spend a little time together and talk. After I had a close call while relocating a copperhead, he even gave me one of his snake transport boxes.