Joseph J. "Joey" Saleeby Jr.

Joseph J. Saleeby, Jr. Joseph J. “Joey” Saleeby, Jr. died peacefully on May 19, 2026. He was 71 years old. Joseph Joel Saleeby, Jr. was a baptized member of All Saints Anglican Church, where he accepted the eternal gift of salvation. Funeral services will be held Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 1 PM at All Saints Anglican Church in Florence. Burial will follow at Grove Hill Cemetery in Darlington. Immediately following the graveside service there will be a reception at Joe's Grill. The family will receive friends Wednesday May 20, 2026, from 5 PM until 7 PM at the funeral home. Joey was born and raised in Darlington. He was the son of the late Joseph J. and Ruth Isgett Saleeby. His family owned the famous Joe’s Grill (Established in 1952) and he was the second-generation proprietor. Joey and his mom, Ruth, (known to her close friends as “Dynamite”) operated the grill together until her death in 2003, when he became the sole owner and the last Saleeby to manage this landmark. Upon his retirement in 2015 he sought out a new owner who he felt could continue the legacy. He found that person in Olivia Ridgill. Although he sold the grill, he ate there at least once a week to give the new owners his total support. Olivia continued the Pizza Burger tradition at Joe’s that was started by Joey’s dad. The pizza burger is so good “Santa eats one every year on Christmas Eve before he heads out. Darlington children have come by Joe’s every Christmas for years to see him off” according to many of the longtime patrons. Joey graduated from St. John’s High School in the class of 1973. He has maintained lifelong friendships from that class ever since. He attended and graduated from Francis Marion College. He received his degree in business administration. He was a loyal alum and was a staunch Blue Devil and Patriot until his final day. Joey loved Darlington. He was involved in many civic affairs to include the Jaycees, the Yam Jam, The Miss Southern 500, DDRA, Darlington County Tax Appropriation Committee, and the Darlington County Elections, to name only a few. Many decisions were made about many community topics at the grill. Joey was the chairman of the board. Darlington is better because of him. His hobbies were vast. He loved racing and maintained a “statistics” sheet for every race. He was a Darrell Waltrip fan through and through and would not, under any circumstances, go against him, unless he finished 14th. Nothing good came from Nevada Teen. He enjoyed fishing. He liked ponds and he liked the pier at Surfside. (It was close to Crabby Mikes). This was something he and Miss Ruth did together all her life. He was a Champion Putt-Putt player having begun his amateur golf career at the course in front of the airport Mrs. Purvis owned. This talent led him all over the Pee Dee competing in some tournaments as far away as the beach. He was a T-Shirt extraordinaire. Joe’s Grill and the Blue Devils were his favorite t-shirt artwork, but he had many other topics over the years. He was the official town photographer, and his celluloid collection was entered into the archives of the grill. You knew you had arrived when your picture made the wall! He loved chicken and dumplings, and the only honest sport left was professional wrestling. Joey was a patient man. If he wanted something he was willing to wait. Eleven years ago, he married his high school sweetheart, and Marie Segars became Mrs. Saleeby. A lot of people would say he lived sixty years for the last ten. There’s a lot of truth in that. Marie made him the happiest man on earth. When Joey married Marie, he received a family that he absolutely adored. Her children, Josh Segars and his wife Helen and Erin Faile and her husband Cameron, became his. Joey’s grandchildren called him J.J., and he became the best grandaddy you could ever ask for. He never missed a dance recital or ball game. Lilly, Kayden, Reese, Anna-Coleman (Bink), and Journey were “the apple of his eye”. Joey also had two cousins on his mother’s side, Terri Isgett McElveen and Robbie Isgett that he remained close to all his life. “Joey was a friend to all and a Darlington tradition” said his lifelong friend, Robert Garland. “True friends, a person that’s always there when you need them, is hard to find. Joey was mine” added his friend since childhood, Cecil Chandler. Jimmy White said, “Joey spent his life doing good for his town and his friends”. Cathy, Virginia, Maggie, and Modestine were all part of his Joe’s grill family, along with his most loyal customer of all time, Johnny Bryant. “There ain’t no place like home” were Joey’s words. Joey is home. If you care to send a memorial in his memory we recommend: All Saints Anglican Church, building fund;1425 Cherokee Road, Florence, SC 29505 or DDRA: 400 Pearl Street, Darlington, SC 29501

Joseph J. "Joey" Saleeby Jr.

May 1, 1955 - May 19, 2026