(The Center Square) – Joe John, the Wake County Democrat who resigned from the North Carolina House of Representatives this week, has died.
He was 85.
John’s family on Wednesday wrote, in part, on his social media account, “Judge John was a dedicated statesman who selflessly committed decades of his life to serving the people of North Carolina, leaving an enduring legacy in public service. His dedication to justice, fairness, and improving the lives of others touched countless people, and his work will be remembered for generations to come. However, the title he held most dear was ‘Pa,’ a role in which he truly shined with adoration and devotion.”
Tributes of respect and condolences poured in immediately from his fellow party members as well as Republicans. His work and the way he did it as a judge and legislator transcended the political chasm ever-present in today’s environment.
Gary Pearce, a journalist, author and longtime associate of the esteemed Hunt family, wrote in an evening blog, “In 2022, I heard Joe speak at a fundraiser in a home in Oakwood. He grew emotional talking about the partisanship that he believed is eroding trust in our state and federal courts.”
And he confessed disdain for making fundraising calls. So afterward, Pearce volunteered.
“It was the easiest money I ever raised,” Pearce wrote. “Everybody I called had a story about how much they respected Joe John. They just wanted to know how to give and how much.”
John’s District 40 is one of 13 in Wake County, more northwestern and bordering Durham County. Rep. Erin Pare, the 46-year-old District 37 lawmaker from the southern-most part of the county, on social media recalled her freshman year in the Legislative Building after winning in November 2020. She was the lone Republican from the county in the House.
“Joe John was a good man,” she wrote in part. “I remember how Joe made me feel welcomed – he knew I was a new face to state politics in Wake County then and went out of his way to be kind, even if we disagreed on many issues. He was a well-respected legislator, judge and leader at the SBI.”
A lawyer by trade, John before coming to the Legislature previously was a judge in Superior Court and District Court; state Court of Appeals justice; and directed the crime lab of the State Bureau of Investigation. He had to be coaxed into running by his party in 2016, then won five terms including this past November.
“After a courageous and arduous battle with cancer,” John wrote in the Sunday letter, “I have been informed by my doctors that all treatment options have been exhausted, and I now face a terminal diagnosis.”
Rep. Robert Reives, Democratic leader of the House, wrote on social media, “Everyone who met him knows how kind Rep. John was to everyone in the room. His commitment to our state and its people will be sorely missed.”
Gov. Josh Stein’s wife, Anna, clerked for John at the North Carolina Court of Appeals. A prosecutor by trade, Stein recognized the work John did at the crime lab saying the standards were raised so scientists could succeed.
“And as a legislator,” Stein wrote on social media, “he has been a champion for justice and public education. Judge John was kind and good.”
Former Gov. Roy Cooper called John a “courageous champion for everyday people as a lawyer, judge, crime lab director and legislator.” State Sen. Sydney Batch, the Wake County Democrat who leads her party in the upper chamber, in a statement said John “brought integrity, wisdom, and humanity to every role he undertook.”
House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, said John’s service was with dedication, integrity and unwavering commitment to better his district.
“Representative John was not only a valued member of the North Carolina House of Representatives but also a friend to many of us, and he will be dearly missed by those of us who had the honor of serving with him,” Hall wrote on social media. “He has certainly left a lasting legacy, and my thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones tonight.”
John is survived by his wife Evelyn, children Steffi, Andy and Joe Jr., and granddaughters.