Joseph John Prince, Jr., 80, of Readyville, Tennessee, passed away on Monday, January 6, 2025, at his home. Born on June 17, 1944, in Yonkers, New York, to Joseph Prince, Sr. and Rubena Povey Prince, Joe – nicknamed “Rusty” – grew up in the suburbs north of New York City along the Hudson River. His strong work ethic and determination were instilled by his father who worked in paint and body repair. His adventurous spirit came from his mother, who kept the family on the move.
In his youth, he served as an altar boy at the Episcopal Church and then later attended and graduated from Irvington High School. In 1962, motivated by his love for his country, Joe enlisted in the Marines; he retired with the rank of Sergeant with a specialty in KW-7 radio technology. He served a tour in Vietnam in a battalion tasked with protecting the airport. During the war, Joe’s compassion compelled him to help the Vietnamese children, by providing clothing, food, and a safe passage home whenever he could. He often spoke of a young girl named Ling and her brother, Thom, whose family he came to know, and he carried their memory with him for decades, wondering if they had survived the war. Joe received several commendations and decorations as a soldier – the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, a Good Conduct Medal, the Vietnamese Service Metal, and the National Defense Service Medal. He also earned the Rifle Expert Badge. Sadly, his time in Vietnam also brought exposure to Agent Orange, which led to his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2005—a twenty-year battle he took on with strength and determination, though not without its share of frustration.
After returning from military service, Joe met his first wife Carolyn. They soon left their home in New York and settled in Florida where they welcomed their first child, Lisa Marie. Joe enrolled at Palm Beach Junior College in West Palm Beach and earned a degree in marine biology. As it turned out, damage to his hearing from the war would interfere with deep diving, preventing him from furthering a career in this field. Instead, he went on to become a highly skilled electrician, working in the service department at Hoff Electric in Jupiter, Florida.
Joe, Carolyn, and Lisa lived in Florida until 1977, when they decided it was time to seek out a better life and a more varied climate. After reading and researching options, they found their way to middle Tennessee. As they drove down Highway 53 and saw the rolling hills of Cannon County, they knew they had found home. The family bought a house on a hill in Readyville, complete with separate his and hers outhouses. It was there that Joe and Carolyn welcomed their son, Joseph John III, and two years later, their daughter, Katherine Marie. Both children were delivered at home with the help of a midwife—and Joe! For Joe, being a father was the greatest joy of his life, and he always considered it his most important role.
Around this time, Joe decided to branch out on his own and start his own electrical business, building on the skills he had honed at Hoff Electric in Florida. Over the years, he expanded his expertise to include plumbing and appliance repair. Before long, Prince Repair Service and Joe Prince became trusted names in Cannon County. Despite being at one time an out-of-towner, Joe soon became a part of the close knit Readyville/Woodbury community – a generous business owner, an active parent in schools, a Boy Scout leader, an advocate for the history and nature of Cannon County, and a supporter of the arts.
In 1988, Joe heard from an old friend from Florida, Thea, who was tracking down some of her former colleagues to see how they were doing. At this time, Joe had been a divorced, single parent for more five years, and he and Thea reconnected their old friendship long-distance. They reunited face-to-face shortly thereafter and fell in love. They were married on April 20, 1990, at Grace Lutheran Church in Murfreesboro. This began the 35 years of life they would share, built on a steadfast love for each other, their families, and their commitment to the community. Thea became Joe’s partner in raising Joey and Kathy, building their home and garden, and she eventually became his devoted primary caregiver as his Parkinson’s progressed.
Thea enjoyed playing the role of bookkeeper for Prince Repair Service, getting good laughs at how many customers would tell her that they were having to chase Joe down just to pay him. Joe’s fun-loving personality and sharp wit endeared him to everyone who knew him. Though Thea and the family never knew quite what joke was going to come out of Joe’s mouth, they knew for sure that if he was reaching for his wallet, he would soon be asking an unsuspecting friend or stranger if they wanted to see a picture of his pride and joy, which happened to be a business-size card with an actual picture of Pride furniture wax and Joy dish washing detergent. This knack for making others smile and laugh gave Joe such joy.
Joey and Kathy worked for their dad at different times, and Thea’s son Matthew also joined Joe at Prince Repair Service. While Joey’s and Matthew’s time at the business was shorter, Kathy stayed on for more than a decade, sharing in the work and the values Joe brought to everything he did. She was a first-hand witness to the kindness and understanding Joe showed customers, who quickly and easily became friends along the way.
Joe had a remarkable almost magical connection with animals. Whether furry, feathered, or furless, animals seemed to sense Joe’s love and respect for them, and they loved and respected him right back. Over the years, at their Readyville home, Joe and his family cared for countless rescue dogs, along with chickens, cats, birds, pigs, a cow, and even a baby skunk he saved and named Rasputin. Joe could even calm an agitated snake with ease. To him, every animal was family, and he proudly referred to them as his babies and grandbabies.
Joe also had a passion for history, dedicating much of his spare time to uncovering and preserving the stories of the past. While living in Cannon County, he focused on documenting the history of Native Americans who once called the area home or passed through its lands. Through tireless digging and investigating, Joe assembled a museum-quality collection of arrowheads. His interest extended to metal detecting and coin collecting, where he uncovered relics from pivotal eras like the Trail of Tears and the Civil War.
Over the years, Joe’s love for Cannon County extended to its thriving arts community. He was deeply committed to supporting the Arts Center of Cannon County, helping it grow from its early days and beyond. Joe had a knack for set design and once even built a fully functional on-stage hair salon, complete with working water sprayers. Whatever the Arts Center needed, Joe was eager to lend a hand. He took on several supporting roles in productions and once went so far as to shave his head to convincingly portray male pattern baldness for a play—a testament to his dedication and sense of humor.
Joe earned his broker’s license and sold real estate for several different realty groups in the area. He loved this opportunity to meet others and be part of their lives, but quickly realized that he was an electrical and plumbing guy through and through and preferred being his own boss.
Joe had an innate connection with nature, finding peace and purpose in the world around him. He discovered his slice of heaven on an 80-acre piece of land he and Thea lovingly called “the Ridge.” Even as Parkinson’s disease challenged him, the Ridge became a sanctuary, a “Fortress of Solitude” where he could recharge and reconnect. A trip to the Ridge with his children offered him a sense of renewal and the comfort of the great outdoors he loved so much.
For Joe, it wasn’t the land, his work, the arts, history, or even his humor that made life truly extraordinary—it was the people. He often said that God places just the right people in our lives at just the right time, and he was endlessly grateful for the friends and family he was blessed to know and love. Joe packed an extraordinary amount of love and living into his 80 years, making every single day count. He had a way of bringing life to each moment and inspiring others to do the same. His spirit, kindness, and unforgettable presence will live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
The man, the myth, the legend – Joe Prince.
Preceding Joseph John Prince, Jr. in death were his parents, Joseph John Prince, Sr. and Rubena Ruth Povey Prince; and sister, Judy Vasquez. He is survived by his wife, Dorothea “Thea” Brown Prince of Readyville; children, Lisa (Jon) Parrott of Panama City, Florida, Joey (Dawn) Prince of Nashville, and Katherine (Jeremy) Dotson of Murfreesboro; mother of his children, Carolyn Prince; step-children, Matthew Proctor of Woodbury and Lisa (Troy) Thibodeaux of Dallas, Texas; sister, Darcy Knowles of Lake Park, Florida; grandchildren, Jessica Elrod, Tucker Dotson, Joshua (Ashley) Proctor, Tabitha (Jed) Copeland, Katherine (Isaac) Padilla, and Avery Johannes; great grandchildren, Zoe Webster, Adeline Proctor, Grayson Proctor, Silas Copeland, Ezekiel Copeland, and Jude Padilla; and several nieces and nephews.
Details for a Celebration of Life Gathering will be shared at a later date. To honor Joe, his family is asking that memorial donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Cannon County Community for Animals, or the Cannon County Vietnam Veterans for America Chapter 1146.
Share memories and condolences at www.gentrysmithfuneralhome.com Gentry-Smith Funeral Home, 303 Murfreesboro Rd. Woodbury, TN 37190, 615-563-5337 Because every life has a story.
