Joseph Francis Joe Gulledge, Jr.

LILESVILLE Mr. Joseph Francis "Joe" Gulledge, Jr., 69, died Thursday, June 14, 2018 at Hospice of Union County in Monroe. There will be a memorial service at 4:00pm Tuesday, June 19, 2018 in the Chapel of Leavitt Funeral Home. The family will greet friends following the service and other times at the home of Glenda and Barry Tice in Wadesboro. Joe was born September 24, 1948 in Anson County, NC a son of the late Joseph Francis Gulledge and the late Vera Tarlton Gulledge. He was a 1966 graduate of Anson High School and worked with Alltel Communications for more than thirty years, having worked in the Wadesboro, Sanford, Marshville and Matthews offices. He retired as Vice President of Operations for North and South Carolina. He served 21 years with the North Carolina Air National Guard and enjoyed deer hunting and fishing. He also enjoyed Ham and CB Radios and time spent with his "Round Table Friends" at the Old Store Restaurant in Lilesville. He was a member of First Baptist Church, Wadesboro. Surviving are his wife of 51 years, Jill Jenkins Gulledge; his sons, Joe (Suzanne) Gulledge, III of Rock Hill, SC and Brent (Christina) Gulledge of Belmont; his grandchildren, Daniel Gulledge, Katie Gulledge, Julia Gulledge and Abby Gulledge and his sisters, Derenda (Billy) Garris of Clemmons, Matilda Paul of Wadesboro and Norma Jean (Wayne) Lassiter of Mill Spring. Also surviving is his Jenkins family, Jack Jenkins of Winterville, Diana (Lynwood) Drye of New London, Kay Thomas of Marion, PA, Ed (Cecelia) Jenkins of Badin, Glenda (Barry) Tice and Glenn (Claudia) Jenkins both of Wadesboro and many nieces and nephews and their families. Joe especially loved his faithful canine companions, Mr. Spock, the Great Dane, Chanel the Jack Russell and Izzie the Poodle. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 423, Wadesboro, NC 28170 or the Humane Society of the donors choice. If you knew Joe, you knew how much he loved his hometown of Lilesville, having grown up there; so in his words we end this tribute, "A day out of Lilesville is a day wasted." The arrangements are in care of Leavitt Funeral Home. Online condolences may be made at www.leavittfh.com