James Daniel Lisenby

1948 - 2025

James Daniel Lisenby

April 7, 1948 - February 22, 2025

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - Hilton Head Island residents and visitors have lost one of the low country's most creative bartenders, business entrepreneurs and good souls.

James Daniel Lisenby, known as "Pool Bar Jim," 76, of Hilton Head Island died Saturday, February 22.

Jim was born in Hamlet, NC in 1948. The youngest of six children, Jim worked for the railroads as a teen during the summers spraying weeds along the tracks to raise money to pay for college.

He attended East Carolina University in Greenville, NC and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration. Shortly thereafter, Jim entered a field that would remain his passion for the rest of his life - the hospitality industry.

Jim bartended at establishments in NC snow ski resorts and during leisure times, enjoyed snow skiing.

In the early 1970s, Jim joined the team of bartenders working the pool bar at the Myrtle Beach Hilton, where each bartender took on the title "Pool Bar" before their individual names. Thus, the moniker "Pool Bar Jim" was born and stuck.

In 1978, Jim migrated to Hilton Head Island and quickly secured a bartending position with Sea Pines Company eventually working at the Hilton Head Inn, now Marriott Grande Ocean. In the off-season winter months, Jim travelled the Caribbean in search of the best exotic drinks. He had a knack for knowing what adjustments were needed to make the best drinks even better.

Jim started writing down his recipes and giving unique names to his many drink concoctions. This collection soon became a book, Pool Bar Jim's Famous Frozen Drinks. A logo was developed as well and soon visitors to the pool bar were purchasing, not only copies of his book, but a variety of logoed merchandise as well, all while enjoying his delicious drink creations.

In the early 1980s, Jim left the pool bar and opened a nightclub, Jim's Paradise, in Fountain Center. It was the Island's party hot spot for almost a decade. But in 1992, Jim's Paradise closed its doors and Jim took some time to regroup. Gradually, he re-entered the hospitality industry and accepted an opportunity to join forces with Dave and Raina Peck to open Pool Bar Jim's beach bar at the Sea Crest.

This phenomenally successful venture provided opportunities for Jim to train and work with a fantastic group of fellow bartenders. Together, they served residents and visitors special drinks while enjoying getting to know each one of them. They were truly a team that put customers first and showed they valued them by providing friendly hospitality and personalized service. The customers quickly became friends.

During this time, Jim published a second book, Pool Bar Jim's Tropical and Exotic Frozen Drinks.

In 2003, Jim was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in an extremely late stage. He fought the disease, and, with determination and aggressive treatment, the cancer went into remission. Jim enjoyed 20 more years of happy, productive living before he experienced breathing problems in 2023. He was informed that he had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He finally succumbed to the disease on February 22, 2025.

Jim is survived by his son Robert Daniel Lisenby of Asheville, NC and dearest friend, Sue Zook, of Hilton Head Island.

He is also survived by his brother, Charles Lisenby of Summerville, SC; sisters, Margaret Gowder of Lexington, SC, Joann MacDougald and brother-in-law Gordon of Summerville, SC and Bonnie Lisenby of Hamlet, NC. Also, several nephews, a niece and many great-nieces and great-nephews.

A drop-in memorial will be held in Celebration Park off Pope Avenue on Hilton Head Island on Saturday, March 8, 2025 between 12 noon - 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers or donations, the family asks that in memory of "Pool Bar Jim" you tip your hospitality servers a little extra!