Mr. John Joyner Wilson, III

John (Jack) Joyner Wilson, III was born June 28, 1935 to Sara B Wilson and John Joyner Wilson, Jr. and raised in Mobile Alabama. His Maternal Grandfather was Willard “Daddy Bob” Barbour who was the major influence on the man that Jack grew to become. His maternal Grandmother was Lynette Wilcox Barbour.

Jack has three siblings, Willard “Babs” Minhinnette (deceased), Lee W. Wilson (Debbie), and Elizabeth Horton (Mike). He is also survived by his two children: Lynn M. Wilson and John Joyner Wilson, IV (Pam). He has several grandchildren and great grandchildren.

A graduate of Semmes High School in 1953, Jack was proactive in organizing and holding his high school class re-unions in his later years. In July of 1953, Jack joined the United States Marine Corp. He was stationed in Puerto Rico during the Guatemalan uprising and was honorable discharged after two years. He returned to his home town of Mobile, Alabama in the summer of 1955. Jack attended Mississippi Southern in 1955-56.

Jack moved to Southampton, New York in 1956 when his parents relocated to that area. He managed a Mercury outboard business and enjoyed taking out the larger ocean boats with his customers. While in Southampton, Jack met the young woman he would marry in 1957. Jack was considered by the local young ladies as a dashing Southern Gentleman who wooed and married Miss Betty A. Gondola in a small family ceremony in July of 1957.

Fate would have it that a year later, Jack and Betty would have their firstborn child, Lynn Wilson. Jack was over the moon with having a family and was thrilled to bring his new wife and child back to Mobile in 1959. Jack worked at as a manager of Hardware Marine and established contacts there. He was instrumental in establishing the first boat show in Mobile in 1960.

In the next few years, Jack became a chemical sales person for several chemical companies including Malter Chemicals which led him to relocate to Tampa, FL where he created a home on the St. Pete River.

Jack and Betty moved back to Mobile in 1963 and he continued working in sales.

In 1968, Jack pursued obtaining his Private Pilots license and then Commercial license and he bought a small Cessna 172 for family and business trips while living in Jackson, Mississippi. In January 1968, a son John J. (Jay) Wilson, IV was born. Now Jack was really happy to have a son to teach all his tricks to. He also started a kennel for breeding toy poodles. Eventually he moved to raising Afghan Hounds. He and his family went to AKC shows with the pedigreed animals. Jack wanted to spend more time at home with his young family, so he sold most assets and moved to Tanner Williams’ area to start a ranch in 1972.

While running the farm/ranch, Jack worked at Ingalls Shipbuilding on the nuclear submarine retrofitting projects. He obtained a Captains Boat license for 100 ton boats and he ran his new shrimp boat out of Pascagoula, Mississippi with the assistance of his son, Jay Wilson. Other projects that Jack enjoyed were raising Emus, planting thousands of blueberry bushes and helping Betty create Betty’s Berry Farm. Jack was an officer with the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and enjoyed all aspects of running a farm. Jack also loved working on American automobiles; he completely restored a 1932 Oldsmobile that won several awards, and he enjoyed the antique car clubs that he joined such as the American Automotive Association and the Studebaker Club.

In Jack’s later years, he enjoyed running his family farm, raising specialty birds and assorted miniature farm animals. He was often outside and running all types of farm equipment. Jack was an inventor who created many items and he does have patented projects. Jack was a kind and wonderful person with a creative side who liked to crack a joke and wanted to be outside as often as possible. Jack never seemed to run out of energy to go and do what he had on his mind. He kept Betty on her toes for 65 years and many family members feel that she should be nominated for the best woman a man could ever ask for.

Pallbearers are John J (Jay) Wilson, IV, Nicholas Wilson, Justin Young, Dylan Stewart, Gary “Bo” Covan, and John J (J.J.) Wilson, V. Graveside Service will be held on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at Pine Crest Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.radneyfuneralhome-mobile.com for the Wilson family.