Joe Adkison, 72, chief operations officer at ADKO, Inc., and member of the International Association of Die Cutting and Die Making, died March 15, 2023. Adkison, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, is survived by his wife, Debra “Dee” Adkison, and daughter Candice Adkison. He was preceded in death by his daughter Heather Adkison. Services were held on March 17 in Fort Smith. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Jenny Holliday, IADD CEO, in an email to IADD members, said Adkison’s influence on and passion for IADD is legendary. In addition to his longtime board service – during which he created and updated IADD’s Trade Practices, received the Presidential Award, was a member and chair of the flagship TechTeam and Tech Services Committee and encouraged numerous articles and authors for the magazine – Joe served as president from 2007-2009.

She added that one of Joe’s greatest loves was serving on the Odyssey planning committee (he was chair in 2007 and 2009), where he prided himself on motivating the task forces, fostering teamwork and boosting attendance. He was always the first person to register for the tradeshow since its inception in 2001, and he helped plan and present technical programs.

“Frankly, we cannot imagine holding Odyssey Expo 2023 without him,” Holliday said. Read Adkison’s obituary at www.ockerputmanfuneralhome.com.