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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