Joe Edward DePriest, a longtime advocate for economic development in Letcher County, has died.

DePriest, 74, of Jenkins, died April 1 after a long illness.

DePriest was a 1966 graduate of Jenkins High School and graduated from ETSU with a degree in Business and Economics. He managed Witt Motor Company for several years and was later Economic Director for Letcher County. He was instrumental in the recruitment of some of the first industries to locate at the Gateway Business Park in Jenkins.

DePriest was a member of the Letcher County Planning Commission, which sought for years to get a federal prison approved in Letcher County only to have it yanked away in 2019 by the White House.

DePriest was the longtime president of the Letcher County Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Letcher County Airport Board for the past 18 years. He oversaw the board’s acquisition of property to build a new airport and worked with consultants to get approval and grant money for the facility. Construction is expected to begin next year, though it has not yet received the final go-ahead.

DePriest was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Velva DePriest; as well as his brothers John, Sam and Jack; his sister-in-law, Lynn; and his in-laws, Joe and Estelle.

He is survived by his wife Brenda; two daughters, Aimee and Stacey; grandchildren, Abigale, Luke, Amelia, Kade and Maggie Leigh; one sister, Alice; and sons-in-law, Tim and Robbie.

He was a member of the Gideons as well as a member of the Burdine Freewill Baptist Church where he served as a Deacon, Sunday School teacher and choir member.

Funeral services were held April 4 at the Burdine Freewill Baptist Church. Burial was in the Powell Valley Memorial Gardens in Big Stone Gap, Va.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Burdine Freewill Baptist Church, Jenkins, Kentucky or to the Greg & Noreen Wells Hospice Center in Hazard.