Joseph “Joe” Lughes

Joseph “Joe” Lughes, 83, of Pinehurst, passed away peacefully Monday, May 14, 2012, at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, in Pinehurst.
The memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 25, at Boles Funeral Home, in Southern Pines. Interment will be ­private.
He was born June 30, 1928, in Perth Amboy, N.J., to the late Frank Luchicchia and Emma Margaret Pincelli of Perth Amboy. He graduated from Perth Amboy High School and enlisted shortly thereafter in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1945. He served in Tianjin, China, as a field artillery crewman as well as playing football for the Marines in Asia.
Joe held the rank of sergeant at the time of his honorable discharge in 1949. His skill on the football field gained the attention of several universities. After a plea from his mother to be as close to New Jersey as possible, he selected the University of Tennessee for his undergraduate studies. After graduation from Tennessee in 1954, Joe obtained his LLB and JD degrees from the Cumberland School of Law, Samford University, Birmingham, Ala. Joe married Virginia Reed in Lebanon, Tenn., in 1953.
After serving the law, Joe began a career in the insurance industry, rising to president of Great American South in Raleigh. He and Virginia settled in Pinehurst permanently in 1990, enjoying golf and tennis, with Joe maintaining a consulting practice to the insurance industry. They purchased a restaurant in Pinehurst village, and Dugans Pub was opened in 1998.
Joe was a member of the China Marine Association, the Marine Corps League, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Bar Association, and Trinity Christian Fellowship of Pinehurst.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 54 years, Virginia; his son Jay Lughes, of Atlanta; and his sister Rosemarie Mazzeo, of Perth Amboy, N.J. He is survived by his son Jody Lughes and wife, Catherine, of Raleigh; his daughter, Ginger and husband, Rob O’Neill, of Denver; his sister Dolores Parker, of Alexandria, Va.;, his brother in-law, Joe Mazzeo, of Perth Amboy; his aunt, Ann Pincelli, of Chester, S.C.; eight very devoted grandchildren, Lindsey, Joe, and Alex Lughes of North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Colin, Alan and Kate O’Neill, of Colorado and Massachusetts, and Daphne and Phoebe Lughes, of Arizona; two great grandchildren, Colette and Sloane Irwin, of Pennsylvania; as well as nieces, nephews and cousins across the country. His caregiver, Peggy Cummings, of Pembroke, is his daughter in spirit and was much loved by Joe.
Joe, Dad, and Granddad will live in the hearts and memories of those who knew and loved him while he was among us. He is sorely missed.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the following organizations: Dugans Pub’s philanthropy, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, with the memo notation for BackPack Pals of Moore County; checks should be mailed to 195 Sandy Ave., Southern Pines, NC 28387;
Carolina Philharmonic, with checks mailed to 460 Midland Drive, Pinehurst, NC 28374; or
Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, 3800 Fettler Park Drive, Suite 104, Dumfief, VA 22025.
Online condolences may be made at www.bolesfuneralhome.com.
Boles Funeral Home and Crematory in Pinehurst is assisting the family.