Joseph Thomas Kouri

Joseph Thomas Kouri, 72, of Des Moines, Iowa, passed away at his home on August 14, 2026.

Joe was born November 13, 1953, in Des Moines to Sam and Jane Kouri. He graduated from Des Moines North High School in 1972 and worked many blue collar-type jobs (e.g., Firestone), before finding his career as a journeyman electrician. A proud member of IBEW Local 347 for 38 years, Joe retired in 2013. He also owned and managed several rental properties throughout the Des Moines metro and was known as a fair and attentive landlord.

But Joe's life was defined far more by the people he loved than by the work he did.

Joe never met a stranger. He accepted people for who they were and where they were in life, and he was extraordinarily generous with his time, talents, home, and love. If someone needed help wiring a house, remodeling a room, building something, fixing something, or simply figuring out what to do next, Joe showed up.

His home reflected that same generosity. Over the years, Joe opened his doors to friends and extended family who needed a place to stay, sometimes for weeks or months at a time. To many, he became much more than a friend's dad. He was a father figure, mentor, teacher, helper, and friend. Joe believed in helping others, doing what was right, and putting family first, and he lived those values every day.

At the center of it all was Debbra "Debbie" Sue Kouri, whom he married at Altoona Christian Church on January 29th, 1972. Together they built a life centered on family, friendship, and a home where people knew they belonged.

Joe is survived by his wife of 54 years, Debbie; his children, John "Jay" Kouri (Tracy Kaufmann) and Amber (Jeff) Lenninger; his grandchildren, Austin Ahl-Jones, LJ Kouri, Andy Kaufmann, Jacob Kaufmann, and Brandon Kaufmann, and his great-grandson, Kaison Ahl. To them, and to countless members of his extended family including all his nieces and nephews that he adored, he was simply Papa.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Sam and Jane Kouri, and his brothers, James Good, Vaughn Kouri, and Jon Kouri.

Family was part of Joe's everyday life, from Sunday dinners and holidays to daily texts and calls with his children and grandchildren. He taught his family how to build, repair, and safely work with electricity, freely passing along the skills he had learned throughout his life.

And then there was the kibbeh.

With Syrian roots, Papa carried on the family tradition of making kibbeh. He famously never made it quite the same way twice and, for years, refused to write the recipe down. Like many things with Joe, exact measurements were more of an "…ish." In his last couple of years, he finally passed it on, teaching his grandson LJ, a chef, how it was done.

That was just one of many Joe-isms. Family and friends will remember favorites such as, "You'll have that on the big jobs," "If you aren't ten minutes early, you're late," "Here fishy, fishy, fishy…," "I'm a ninja," "Regulators…let's ride," and, when precision was required, "220, 221…whatever it takes."

Joe was funny, engaging, and relentlessly positive. He loved fishing, hunting, and being outdoors, but most of all, he loved spending time with family and friends. He had a way of making people feel comfortable, accepted, safe, and at home.

There is much to miss: his humor, the calls and texts, Sunday dinners, his advice, his ability to fix almost anything, and the simple reassurance of knowing that Joe would always be there and always make time.

But his greatest legacy is simpler. He loved people through action. He gave his time, shared what he knew, opened his home, helped when help was needed, and made family out of far more people than those who shared his name.

That is how Papa lived, and that is how he will be remembered.

Arrangements are entrusted to Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home, with services officiated by Pastor Emily Olson.

Visitation will be held Thursday, August 20, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. at Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home, 5400 SW 9th Street, Des Moines. The funeral service will be held Friday, August 21, at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home followed by burial at Glendale Cemetery, 4909 University Avenue, Des Moines and a luncheon at New Point Church, 3201 99th, Street, Urbandale.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Condolences may be left at hamiltonsfuneralhome.com.

Print