Reverend Joiner

Lake Junaluska, NC, Reverend Donald J. Joiner, age, 79, died on Thursday, December 24, 2009 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. Reverend Joiner was born in Alverda, Indiana County of Pennsylvania, March 12, 1930. He graduated from high school in 1948 and worked for his father in the farming and lumber business. He was converted at the age of 19 and called to the ministry while a member of the Mt. Union Evangelical United Brethren Church in the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference. He was licensed to preach in 1951 and graduated from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky in 1953. He married Carolyn Houglin of Bradenton, Florida in 1954. Their ministry together covered five appointments over forty-one years, including a term as District Superintendent of the Greensburg District of the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church. Reverend Joiner graduated from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 1958 with a Master of Divinity degree and was ordained Elder in 1958 in the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the former Evangelical United Brethren Church, which merged with the former Methodist Church in 1968. He received a Master's of Education degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1968. He was a member of several Conference Boards and agencies of the Annual Conference and was a delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conferences. In his ministry, he loved to preach and teach, which involved doing monologues of biblical characters. In 1976, he was awarded a Freedoms Foundation Award of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania for a sermon he preached on the 200th anniversary of the founding of our nation. As pastor he was involved in building programs at two of his churches, and in the start of a new mission church while serving as a district superintendent. He retired in 1995 as he and Carolyn moved to Lake Junaluska in western North Carolina. He was a Kiwanian of four clubs and served as president of the Waynesville, NC club. He was active in the Long's Chapel United Methodist Church in the Tullis Sunday School class, evangelism, the Church Council, and the choir. He also served on the first Board of Directors for the Open Door, an outreach ministry of Long's Chapel United Methodist Church in Waynesville, NC and as a volunteer chaplain at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, NC. He also served as president of the Junaluskans, a fellowship and volunteer group of the Assembly. He loved to travel in the states and abroad, play golf, hunt, and hike. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Carolyn Joiner; one son, Douglas Joiner and his beloved companion, Donna Stratton, of Forest, VA; three daughters, Donalyn Selinsky and her husband, E. Charles, of Pittsburgh, PA, Betty Joiner of Lebanon, PA, and Leah Downs and her husband, Michael of Washington, DC; two sisters, Betty Bolinger and Norma Joiner, and family friend, Noreen Lyne all of Washington, DC; one brother, Ray Joiner and his wife, Sally, of Pittsburgh, PA; and eight grandchildren, Raechel, Wayne, Ashley, Alene, Peter Don, Jacob, William and Zachary. Funeral services will be held 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at Longs Chapel United Methodist Church with Reverend Dr. Charles W. "Chuck" Wilson II, and Reverend Woody Adams officiating. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 p.m. Monday at Wells Funeral Home in Waynesville and from 12:30 until 1:30 prior to the service at the church in the Venue. Burial will follow the service at Garrett-Hillcrest Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Africa University of Zimbabwe. Please make checks payable to: "Advance GCFA" and send to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068. Please place on check memo line code: 3021028. For further information, visit http://new.gbgm-umc.org/advance/give/how.

Previous Events