Joseph Eugene "Joe" Dutton

Joseph Eugene Dutton October 23, 1956-December 25, 2020 Joe Dutton passed into heaven on Friday, December 25, 2020 from complications of COVID. He was born in Wadesboro, North Carolina, on October 23, 1956 to Gene and Myrtle Johnson Dutton. He was the brother that his sisters prayed for, and he was THE best brother ever. He was the apple of his daddy’s eye and Joe followed him around as much as he could, learning things such as how to trade guns, ride and trade horses, hunt, chase drunk drivers, chauffeur the Lt. Governor, and having many other adventures. Joe was a 1975 graduate of Bowman High School. While at Bowman, he loved being in the marching band and jazz ensemble, playing his trumpet. His passion for music most likely originated from this. He was a quick study when Rick Matthews, his brother-in-law, later taught him to play the guitar. Joe attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a member of the first Bachelor’s degree class of Wingate University in 1979. After graduating from Wingate, he was employed at B.C. Moore and Sons, in their home office in Wadesboro, as credit manager for the Moore's chain. Most recently he has been employed by Anson County Government in the tax office as the county tax collector. There is no greater booster and advocate for Anson County than Joe. He liked to say, “There’s always something good happening in Anson County.” He loved his local community and was proud to be an Ansonian. Joe has been a member of the Anson County Chamber of Commerce board of directors since 2012. He would volunteer time to make good things happen in his home town. Joe has been an active member of Peachland United Methodist church for many years. You would often find Joe doing "children's time" during the worship service or helping his wife Jennie keep the nursery. He has many close friends, more like family, from his church, that he held dear to his heart. Joe has always loved sports whether on the field himself or watching and coaching his children. He spent many days years ago playing church softball. In recent times, he has had a passion for Anson Middle and High School sports, as a proud Daddy watching his son Kole play football, baseball, and wrestling, or his daughter Desi, play softball. He always encouraged school spirit no matter what the occasion. If you met Joe, even only once, you knew that Joe was a “people person.” He has always been one to reach out and help others during trying circumstances, and he never met a stranger. If you know Joe, you have probably been hugged by him. He loved music and enjoyed picking and singing with friends. At most every Thanksgiving and Christmas get-together at his sister Marilyn's home, he would end up playing the piano or his guitar for everyone to sing or just sit and listen. If you have been around Wadesboro and heard music in the streets uptown or inside the Country Club, Joe was strumming his guitar with his friends and band members, "Knights at the Museum." They started up their group for fun and fellowship, and then began getting invitations to perform because they made people smile. Joe has always been a collector, a trader, and a seller. He once told his niece, the only thing that did not have a price tag on it was his wife and kids, other than that, he would negotiate. In 1996, Joe started his hand at his own auction company, Circle 8 Auction. He would sell a few things here and there, then began working estate auctions. He enjoyed this the most because of the people he would get to see, old friends, and making new friends. Joe had three nieces and two nephews that adored him. He was always the cool young uncle, and from early on, he told them he was not "Uncle Joe," but instead "Just Joe." He would ride them on his horses, teach them about life, and just let them hang out whenever they wanted. To this day, they would still call him for advice. The day that Joe became a father was probably the happiest day of his life. And then a second child made him even happier. His time with them is cut short but he and Jennie have already instilled values, faith, and ethics that point them toward a fine adulthood. They are a source of great pride. Joe is survived by his wife, Jennie Bailey Dutton, his children Desi and Kole Dutton and Hunter Hayes; his sister, Carolyn Dutton Matthews and her husband Rick of Winston-Salem, their children, Mark Dutton Matthews (Florence) and children of Fuquay-Varina and Kelly Matthews Silliman (Shawn) and children of Mills River; sister Marilyn Dutton Allison of Peachland and her children, Dr. Holly Allison Kiker (Jason) and children of Wadesboro, Adam Allison of Peachland, and Dr. Jill Allison Greene (Ken) and children of Shallotte; also, sister Brenda Gene Dutton Tcherkezian (Roland) of Charlotte; and sister Mickey Sue Dutton Ritter (Darrin) of Siler City and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother-in-law Charles Allison, who also passed on December 25. “What are the things that you can’t see that are important? I would say justice, truth, humility, service, compassion, love. You can’t see any of those, but they’re the guiding lights of a life.” -- Jimmy Carter A service to celebrate Joe’s life will be at 1:00PM Saturday outside of Peachland United Methodist Church. It will be a drive-up service and those coming are asked to roll down their windows and remain in their cars. Following the service, there will be a procession through Peachland Cemetery where the family will acknowledge those attending as they ride by. In addition, Joe will lie in state at Leavitt Funeral Home from 9:00AM until 12:00Noon on Saturday for those wishing to come by and pay their respects. It is requested that any memorial donations be made to a custodial account for Desi and Kole. These may be sent to: Carolyn Dutton Matthews 1857 Faculty Drive Winston Salem, NC 27106 Email: carolyn@thematthews.ws