Johnnie Junious Poteat

Morganton, NC

Johnnie Junious Poteat, age 91, of Glen Alpine, NC, passed away peacefully, on Thursday, March 30, 2017, surrounded by his loving family.

Mr. Poteat was born on November 6, 1925, in East Marion, NC, to the late Jesse Poteat and Stella Sue Hill Poteat.

He was a member of First Baptist Church of Glen Alpine. At the age of 10 years he moved with his family to Burke County and from there he attended the Glen Alpine school system until November of 1942, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served on two destroyers, until the Japanese surrendered on August 15, 1945. Most of this duty was in the South and Central Pacific, where his ship was awarded 3 Battle Stars in the Solomon Islands and Guam. During this tour of duty he was tutored, then passed a high school equivalency test.

After his honorable discharge from the Navy, on February 14, 1946, he spent one summer in Manassas, Virginia, playing semi-pro baseball, while working for Southeastern Construction Co., as the time keeper and pay clerk. That fall and winter he enrolled at Manassas State Vocational School to study Mechanical Drawing and Math.

On coming back to Burke County, in the spring of 1947, he met the love of his life, Faye Bennett, and they were married on November 13, 1948 and enjoyed 68 years of marriage together.

Mr. Poteat gained employment with Great Lakes Carbon Corp. in 1949, where he held supervisory and Department Management positions until his retirement in 1989. He was a lover of all competitive sports and active in baseball, bowling, and golf. With baseball being his first love. He coached baseball teams in the junior league, for the Morganton Recreation Department for several years and was President of the Glen Alpine High School Booster Club the last five years of its existence. After consolidation of the four western county high schools of Burke, he served as Freedom High School Athletic Foundation President during the construction of the football stadium and President of the Booster Club for three years after that.

He considered his greatest accomplishment as being the father to five wonderful children, whom he was extremely proud of, as well as his nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, whom he loved dearly.

In addition to his parents, he is also preceded in death by his four sisters, Pauline Kiser, Dora Sue Crawley, Jessie Fay Patton, and Beatrice Poteat, whom died one month after birth; two brothers, Calvin W. Poteat and Clarence J. Poteat.

Surviving Mr. Poteat are, his wife, Faye Bennett Poteat, of Glen Alpine; sons, Victor P. (Mary) Poteat, of St. Mary, FL; James M. (Melanie) Poteat, of Belmont, NC, John S. (Sharlene) Poteat, of Morrisville, NC, and Mark B. Poteat, of Morganton, NC; a daughter, Debra Poteat (Gordon) Lucas, of Wake Forest, NC; sisters, Virginia Pearke Deaton, of Morganton, NC, Sarah Margaret (Frank) Queen, of Dysartsville, NC, Joyce Mavis (Norman) Bennett Hilmer, of Conover, NC, and Jennie Ree Bost, of Morganton, NC; eleven grandchildren, Claudia and Rudi Fann, Paul and Laura Poteat, Ashley Bizzell, Amber Summerville, Elizabeth Poteat, Jackson and Sophia Poteat and their mother, Tiffany James Poteat; Maryanne Stuart and Robbie Walters; and five great-grandchildren, Leighton and Bennett Bizzell, Georgia and Graham Summerville, and Dylan Fann.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Burke County Public Library, 204 South King St., Morganton, NC 28655.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, April 7, 2017, at 2:00 PM, at First Baptist Church of Glen Alpine, NC. The family will receive friends following the service.

Kirksey Funeral Home has the honor of assisting the Poteat Family with arrangements.