Joseph William Jelks III, 69, beloved husband of Elizabeth Webb Jelks (Betty), went to be with his Heavenly Father on Saturday, January 3, in Greenville, SC.
In addition to his wife of 46 years, he is also survived by his daughter Elizabeth Webb Jelks Hart (Beth Webb) and her husband Dr. Edward Brantley Hart, Jr., his daughter Margaret Jelks McKinney (Peggy) and her husband Dr. James Edward McKinney, his daughter Nina Elizabeth Jelks Johnson (Libby) and her husband, Dr. James Gowen Johnson IV; his grandchildren, Frances Jelks Hart, Edward Brantley Hart, III, James Edward McKinney, Jr., Joseph William McKinney, James Gowen Johnson V, and Samuel Jelks Johnson. His seventh grandchild is soon to be born.
Also, he is survived by his sister, Margaret Jelks Haigler (Peggy) and her husband, Ted Haigler, and his brother-in-law, William E. Webb.
Born in Winnsboro, SC, on February 19, 1945, Joe was an avid athlete and a nationally competitive junior golfer, winning the South Carolina State High School Junior Golf Championship as a sophomore. He played football for Greenville High, and he enjoyed playing on the golf team at Baylor School and Davidson College where he graduated in 1967 with a BA in Economics. He received his MBA from the University of North Carolina in 1969 and served in the United States Army from 1970 to 1971 where he finished as a 1st Lt.
While he enjoyed a long and vibrant entrepreneurial career as a restauranteur in Anderson and Murrell’s Inlet, SC and a real estate developer and homebuilder (President, C&D Builders, Inc.) in Greenville, SC and was especially proud of the following opportunities: South Carolina Restauranteur of the Year (1982), Homebuilders Association of Greenville’s Builder of the Year (1988), and Member of Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, the passion of his life had become his Lord and Savior. He was a natural encourager to all who knew him. He was a man of great faith, love, creativity, vision and compassion. He was a forever friend to many. He had recently learned from his Lord about becoming less that Jesus might become more (John 3:30).
A worship service and celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday, January 7, at 1 pm at St. Paul’s Church (304 E. Camperdown Way, Greenville, SC 29601.)
Gifts may be made in his honor to St. Paul’s Church and Triune Mercy Center (P.O. Box 3844, Greenville, SC 29608 or www.triunemercy.org.)
The Mackey Mortuary