Community mourns death of local store owner who united a community

Kinston residents saluted their “captain” Wednesday, giving final farewells to Jesse “Mickey” Joyner Jr. at his store on Plaza Boulevard and funeral service at Spilman Memorial Baptist Church on Madison Avenue.

Joyner, known widely around town for the past 28 years as “The Captain” for owning the hot dog hangout known as Captain’s Corner, died Monday at Lenoir Memorial Hospital. He was 69.

Friends who frequently visited Joyner at his nook at 711 Plaza Blvd. remembered the soft-spoken man whose actions unified a community.

“I would go in there and see Captain at least two or three days a week to buy hot dogs and chat,” said James Herring, who expected to get hounded Monday by Joyner for Duke’s 82-50 weekend romping of UNC when he came to the shop.

“I never heard him mention any bad thing about anybody,” Herring continued. “The only bad thing I heard him say was his remarks about Carolina, but that was because he was an avid Duke fan and we had a little inside joke going on — with me being a big Carolina fan. He would rag on me every chance he got.”

Instead, Herring learned Joyner passed away from Joyner’s son-in-law, Brad Elmore.

“The parking lot was packed,” Herring said. “Once I found a parking spot, I walked up there and saw the ribbon on the door and was told the captain had passed. There were a lot of people in there. You could tell he impacted a lot of lives.”

The Joyner family closed the convenience store Wednesday to grieve Joyner, but cars pulled up to the stand every five minutes or so to get “the best hot dog in town and possibly the world,” the slogan of the restaurant that adorns the front window.

A white ribbon hung from the mart’s front door and road sign, which read “God Bless the Captain,” to mourn the late owner.

Dr. Laddie Crisp Jr., Joyner’s physician who visited him every morning at 6:30 and every other evening to share a Diet Sundrop and a pack of Ginger Snaps, said the store was the place to be in town.

“The way to look at Captain’s Corner is it almost like a nonalcoholic pub, like you hear about in Europe where friends would meet,” Crisp said. “Some of the richest in town and some of the poorest in town would all go in there and have a hot dog with (Joyner). It was a tradition.”

The store was designated by graduating classes of Kinston High School, including Crisp’s daughter, Elizabeth, 26, and son Laddie III, 22, as a “home away from home.”

“You would see everybody in there from doctors to teenagers munching on hot dogs — it was a real mix of people,” said Thomas R. Thutt, who owns Medical Center Pharmacy across the street from Captain Corner. Thutt would cross Plaza Boulevard once a week to have a hot dog with Joyner and talk community happenings and national politics.

Hoyt Minges Jr., part-owner of Minges Bottling Group, visited the shop every morning to get a sausage biscuit and Mountain Dew. He said he returned every evening with a group of friends to listen to songs on the juke box, such as Buck Owens’ “The Hot Dog Song” and watch college hoops on a 52-inch flat screen television.

“You could find out the latest news in the community right there at the Captain’s Corner before it ever hit newsstands, which is what I liked most,” Minges said. “Joyner and his family were almost like family, and he is going to be sorely missed by all. I will never forget my times at the Captain’s Corner.”

Herring and Thutt said Joyner’s openness to all — even putting aside his Duke allegiance to help UNC fans — was what attracted all walks of life to the store.

“I really thought a lot about the captain,” said Herring, who also lauded Joyner’s aid to homeless folks, which included feeding them his famous hot dogs. “He treated everybody with respect and was always willing to help anybody out in the community. For example, when I used to coach sports, if I needed some ice, he would be glad to donate to my ball teams.”

Thutt agreed, saying a Jesse Joyner cannot be replaced.

“He always had shy smile on his face — not a great big grin, but a warm, inviting smile,” Thutt said. “He was one of a kind and is going to be missed greatly. They don’t make them like that anymore.”

Even with Joyner gone, the four said the visits and the regular hot dog consumption will help them continue to remember the captain.

“He would do anything for anyone,” Crisp said. “He was a dear friend to many people and will be remembered for a long time.”

Wesley Brown can be reached at 252-559-1075 or wbrown@freedomenc.com.