Joseph Blount Cheshire IV

Joseph Blount Cheshire IV was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on April 25, 1918. He was the son of Joseph Blount Cheshire III of Raleigh and Ida Rogerson Cheshire of Edenton. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie whom he married on February 17, 1945; their son, Joseph Blount Cheshire V and his wife Carolyn; two grandsons, Joseph Blount Cheshire VI and John Milton Beale Cheshire both of Wilmington; and his sister, Jane Clark Penick and her children, Jean, Caroline and Edwin.
Mr. Cheshire attended public schools in Raleigh, graduated from the Virginia Episcopal school in Lynchburg, Virginia and received his A.B. degree (1939) and his LLB (1941) from the University of North Carolina. He was a member of the Zeta Psi Fraternity, the Board of Editors of the NC Law Review and the Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity. He served his country as a Master Sergeant in the United States Army during the Second World War. He began practicing law in 1941 and continued in the active practice of law until 2002. He was a fourth Joseph Blount Cheshire to continuously hold a license to practice law in the state of North Carolina, a period of 170 years which began in 1836 and continues to this day. He initially began practice in Charlotte and then moved to Raleigh to practice with his father. He began a long association with the firm of Harris, Poe, Cheshire and Leager which firm merged in later years with the firm of Poyner and Spruill where he finished his practice after 62 years.
During his practice of law, among other honors, he served as the Referee of Bankruptcy for Eastern North Carolina, President of the Wake County/Tenth District Bar associations, and served the maximum term possible as Wake County's Councilor to the North Carolina State Bar where he served for six years as Chair of the Bar's Grievance Committee. No one was prouder to be a lawyer. He was an old fashioned lawyer who believed a lawyer was a professional and not a businessman and as a result, never used his degree to obtain wealth for himself but simply to help others. His love for and assistance to poorer people and people of color were an inspiration to his profession, family and friends. The reward for his service, faith and hard work did not come in the form of money or recognition, rather was returned by the love and admiration of many people from all walks of life, a fact that was never lost on his family and especially his only child.
Along with his family, his Eastern North Carolina heritage and membership in the Society of the Cincinnati, he had four other great loves: tennis and histennis friends, the Tar Heels, his small cottage at Nags Head and most of all the Episcopal Church. As did every Joseph Blount Cheshire before him, he served the church with passion and dedication. He held the office of Chancellor of the Diocese of North Carolina and in that position served many terms and many Bishops. As a lifelong member of the Good Shepard Church in Raleigh, he held many offices, taught Sunday school and sang in the choir. He also served many years as the lawyer for and memberof the Board of St. Augustine's College, an Episcopal College in Raleigh that his family helped to found. As he loved his profession so did he love his church. He loved Tennis and was a member of the old Royster Stadium Tennis Club where he played with many of Raleigh's greatest generation before he and they helped to found the Raleigh Racquet Club. He played many joyful games there and at the Carolina County Club.
Joe had an immense intellect and razor sharp wit. He was a tough husband, father, friend and critic, but as he never sought personal acclaim or wealth so did he never fail to offer support and guidance to anyone who ever sought it; a fact to which, his family, a legion of younger lawyers and many others would attest.
Those of you that knew him will miss him greatly; those who did not were still rewarded by his time on this earth and in this community.
The Cheshire Family would like to thank Mamie Smith of Southern Pines our family's loyal friend and the Penick Home inSouthern Pines, and all its wonderful residents' and employees who made Joe's life and passing during these last difficult months and weeks as peaceful, dignified and loving as possible. You all are angels.
A memorial service of Holy Communion will be held on Thursday April 20, 2006 at the Good Shepard Episcopal Church on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh at 11:00 a.m.
The family will receive guests between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, 2006 at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's Street, Raleigh.
For those who wish, memorial contributions may be made to Penick Village, Post Office Box 2001, Southern Pines, NC 28387. Tributes may be made to the family at www.brownwynne.com