Donald "Don" Jesse Joines' Obituary
Donald "Don" Jesse Joines joined the church triumphant on Sunday, April 23, 2023. He was born August 19, 1946 in Wilkes County, North Carolina to Mae and J.M. Joines, and was later joined by younger brother Ken, other brother/cousin Darrell Sparks, and an assortment of cousins. He was particularly close to his beloved uncle, Buel Sparks. Don graduated from North Wilkes High School followed by Appalachian State University, and enjoyed a lifelong pursuit of acquiring skills and knowledge. Don was a Type 1 (Juvenile) diabetic for fifty-eight years, which he navigated with extraordinary grace and success.
Don married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Hawkins Joines, on December 28, 1967 and began his life's work of raising and providing for his family, and helping others achieve a dignity in providing for their own loved ones. His employment ranged from teaching high school to working for the Department of Transportation and ultimately retiring from Philip Morris in Concord after twenty-five years of service. His favorite projects included renovating entire houses under the direction of "forewoman Nancy," building birdhouses, refinishing furniture, building tree houses and a wide variety of other projects too numerous to list. He gave of himself generously through First Presbyterian Church of Albemarle, Habitat of Humanity of Stanly County, and to whomever he came across who may have needed a helping hand. He built wheelchair ramps, repaired homes, worked on yards, and bought meals for random strangers. If something needed doing, Don was always available with no strings attached.
Don has two children, daughter Annie Joines Prentice and husband Drew, and son Will Joines and wife Karrie Crouse. He delighted in their achievements and generally thought all four were spectacular. He acted as a personal handyman for his daughter's house and appointed himself head construction foreman for his son's film sets. His absolute delights, however, were his grandchildren, Evan and Caroline Prentice, to whom he passed out far too many twenty-dollar bills.
Don enjoyed watching and collecting movies, tinkering in his shop, designing and building intricate birdhouses, acquiring interesting tools, hiking, crafting witty limericks, and telling jokes of dubious quality. He was a fan of strong mouthy women and open-minded men. He was warm, charming, witty, generous, creative, handy, and greatly loved.
A service to celebrate Don's exceptional life will be held on Saturday, April 29 at 2:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Albemarle. A reception and visitation with family and friends will follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Joines Endowment Scholarship Fund (Stanly Community College Foundation, 141 College Drive, Albemarle, NC 28001) or the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org/ways-to-give) are encouraged. As of yet, no plans have been made to clean out or sort through his delightfully cluttered shop.
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