April 11, 2020
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The Latest from… “Lake Woebegone On The Neuse”
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Vincent Jackson Jones – 90 – passed away earlier this week at the NC State Veterans Home. “Vince” was a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather. … He was a devoted member of Queen Street United Methodist Church, where he served as lead usher for many years…
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BUT FIRST… Remembering Kathy Taft prompted a lotta comments – most of it off-line – all of it of the “Thank You BobLee” variety. Several folks asking for a reprint of “… and her name was Cotten” which I promise to re-post soon.
Coincidentally, many columns high on BL’s Epic Work list involve BobLee: The Early Years. I hope you understand these Treks down Memory Lane are NOT simply about Kinston, North Carolina … a/k/a “Lake Woebegone On The Neuse”.
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These poignant commentaries are about Your “Lake Woebegone” too … IF Your Hometown was Small Town America in The 60s
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LIKE… Hickory – Cape Girardeau – Clinton – Springfield – Valdosta – Lynchburg – Florence – or Not-So-Small Towns like Raleigh – Durham – Richmond – Chattanooga – Denton – or even Apalachicola.
The Extraordinary Ordinary People that I have encountered … are no more/less Extraordinarily Ordinary than the ones YOU have encountered.
Maybe they all did not “look great in Bermuda shorts” as Ed’s Dad did… but they were there – In Your Hometown. Heck… maybe YOU Are One? Whoa!
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Remember P. Coleman Buck – my “mob lawyer” from that recent Bandit run to Charlotte – also a Life Member Emeritus of BobLee’s Special Nine? This morning PCB sends me Vince Jones’ obituary.
PCB – adjusting to full retirement – is an inveterate Obituary checker. I admonish PCB that “checking obits” is the Gateway Drug to joining three other grumpy codgers in the corner booth at Bojangles every morning at 7:23 to bitch about sports / weather / politics / and “back in our day”. Yuck!
PCB’s dutiful wife of 49+ years – “Nurse YooHoo” – nods in agreement. ..
“BobLee, I keep warning him, but he won’t listen… The first time he wears black socks with Birkenstocks, I’m running off to Belize with Enrique – the Asst Tennis Pro at the club”. …… Nurse YooHoo is kidding – I think !?
So PCB sends me Vince Jones’ obituary … AND thinks he has to remind ME who “Vince Jones” is…
I have NEVER met Vince Jones. No clue what he ever looked like over his 90 years. No clue what his profession was. No clue where Vince lived in “Lake Woebegone On The Neuse”.
Hellfire… I didn’t know that he “served as lead usher for many years” at Queen Street Methodist. … BUT…
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As God is my witness – I absolutely Know Who VINCE JONES Was!
Vince and his brother “Barry Jones” were the coaches of Kinston’s Little Tar Heel League State Champions in 1961.
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Kinston is known internationally as “a Basketball Town” … with more NBA alumni per capita than any town on Earth. When you only have 20,000 residents, per capita is how you prefer to be measured.
Kinston also has – or once had – the Purest Artesian Well Water per capita of any place in the Milky Way Galaxy. My sainted Mother always credited “our pure artesian well water” with why Kinston had such friendly people. .. ???
Kinston is now ranked 2nd or 3rd Most Crime-ridden City in North Carolina “per capita”… I’m guessing those artesian wells have dried up.
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To Quote the late Lewis Grizzard …
“My mamma thought professional wrestling was real… and they faked the moon landing.” I hear you brother.
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BUT that Little League Baseball team that Vince and Brother Barry coached to a State Title in 1961 was “a Dream Team”. Two years later, they won the State Junior League title. In 1967 they won the State 3A High School Championship. … Three State Titles all with the same core players…
Leo… Dwight… Ted… Mike… Junior… Bert… Edgie… Tommy … and 5-6 others who I don’t recall but who probably will never see this anyway. But others will including Reid, Claude and George Ivey and they will send me those other guys’ names. I know my peeps.
I am absolutely positive that between “coaching that youth baseball team in 1961” and being “lead usher at Queen Street Methodist for many years” that Vince Jones made Many Many notable contributions to family, friends and community. None of which I know anything about.
Vince never knew about my Extraordinary Grandchildren… Vince probably never read “… her name was Cotten” or PDEW. I guess it all evens out on the Great Gettin’ Up Morning.
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One Singular Event in Your Life of 90 years that some galoot with his own website – who never met you – remembers You for Upon Your Departure from This Life. … That – I think – is Extraordinarily Ordinarily Cool.
Congratulations – Godspeed – RIP to Vincent “Vince” Jackson Jones
You Left a Footprint. You Made a Positive Difference
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More BobLeeSays – Click HERE
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Blast from the Past. Barry Jones graduated GHS around 1970. That cannot be the same person.
George Ivey…..boy do I remember him! Those were the glory days at ol Fairfield.
Barry Jones would have graduated from GHS in the late 50s. “Ivey” is still alive & kickin’ – a true “character”.
BobLee. Same architect did FUMC Kinston and Wilson. The WILSON sanctuary was destroyed by fire in 1984, rebuilt by 1989. .. happy Easter. BillyBob
When was the Queen St Methodist built orginally … just curious.
Not sure. There is a marker at fumc WILSON showing 1904 for that sanctuary
Construction started in 1909. First service was held in August, 1911. Since you asked.
https://nccumc.org/history/files/Queen-Street-UMC-History.pdf
Wonder if it is oldest-standing church in Kinston? … or Gordon Street Christian ?? … First Baptist burned down 30+ years ago.
The sanctuary construction begun in 1912, was dedicated in 1915. Don’t ask me how many grains are in a pound of rice.
Thank you for sending this. I know nothing about Vince Jones except what you’ve sent. I do know or have known several people like him. That makes what you’ve written sorta personal. . Thinking of them and in a move toward a bandwagon which has no seat for me, I have a semi-serious but 100-percent-selfish deal with our church organist and the retired (lady) Methodist preacher who have agreed to “do” a memorial service if anyone thinks I might deserve one. . The deal is that the organist will play Aarton Copeland”s “Fanfare For A Common Man” as the service’s… Read more »
Planning out details of one’s funeral services is usually an indication that said planner is old enough to recall that Hop Sing was the cook at The Ponderosa. Doubt too many Millennials are in to doing that… yet. . I have a friend who has “his” scripted to 01:30. I suggested he insert a 10-minute intermission at the :45 minute so I and many other of his friends paying our respects can politely leave without disturbing the rest of the assemblage. . I’m still figuring on a Viking Funeral if I can find archers to set the Dragon Ship on… Read more »
Vince Jones was just one of those great men in our small town that gave up his time and talents to Coach Little League baseball.
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We had Team names” Gurley-Dozier” my team, Weeks Motor..Wallace’s dad’s company..others I can’t recall but PCB or Leo might.
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Vince was good friends with our BB Coach Jones but no kin. Vince was always a supporter of all GHS sports and was a great role model for us growing up. God bless and now our BB Coach has his friend again by his side!
Thanks Willie. I think Vince Jones was also a very good ball player as was his brother Barry. PCB says Barry played some “pro ball”.
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“PJ” is assembling quite a Heavenly team as time goes by … Pete W … George R … Jerry R … Herbie S … like that song “HillBilly Heaven”. Some day we’ll ALL be together again.
I was a member of QSUMC from 1966-1980, even sang in the choir for 2-3 years, but never knew Mr Jones although I probably saw him passing the plate. I do know his son Rob and he is top shelf, and that counts in my book. You nailed it though. The straws that really stir the drink in communities are often anonymous to many of us.
I have driven by QSUMC 1,000s of times. When I googled that picture it suddenly dawned on me what a distinctive architectural building it has been for ever how long it has been there … 100 years???
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Use your judgement re: passing this along to Vince Jones’ son.
Excellent as usual. Did you do an article on Cotton Skinner? I must have missed it.
Yes I did. But when I read it even 6-7 years later I believe I was “just a vessel” with a Higher Power moving my fingers over the keyboard. Of my 2100+ columns, “… her name was Cotten” is the ONLY one I go back to and have never edited a single word of the original. Would da Vinci put a mustache on Mona Lisa? … I’ll send you the link. And will repost it here in a week or so.
Great column. “Nurse Yoo-Hoo” agrees but notes the marital tenure will reach 50 years come August. Keep up the good work!
That ASSUMES you avoid the black socks w/ Birkenstocks.
The funniest thing I’ve seen today: “BobLee, I keep warning him, but he won’t listen… The first time he wears black socks with Birkenstocks, I’m running off to Belize with Enrique – the Asst Tennis Pro at the club”.
OK… but its only noon. What was my competition for “funniest thing today”? Check back in around 7:45 PM and let me know where this ranks.
Right on re. Vince. Always especially enjoy your K’town articles.
Thanks JC. Do you and Frances like “Lake Woebegone On The Neuse”? If I can sell it to Vivian Howard maybe I get t-shirts made up.