Joi Chestnut, 40: Epitomized customer service

By Rick Badie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

People who knew or came across Joi Chestnut say her name was a perfect fit.

She worked in customer service at the Publix in Ansley Mall, off Piedmont Avenue. Jean Wells of Atlanta has shopped at that location for several years, partly because of Ms. Chestnut.

"I can turn left out of my driveway and go to the Ponce De Leon store or turn right and go to Ansley," Mrs. Wells said. I go to Ansley. Joi's there. She was so full of joy all the time. The customers loved her."

Every now and then, an "associate" strikes a chord with customers that has a positive impact on the store, said Keith Baranowski, manager of the Ansley Mall Publix. Ms. Chestnut, he said, was one of those employees.

"Customers came in to see her," Mr. Baranowski said. "They would come in to shop, but they would know when she worked as well. Some people just have that rapport with customers. I have two or three in this store who are like that, and she was one of them."

Ms. Chestnut was days away from her 41st birthday. Last Tuesday, she died from cardiac arrest at her home in East Point. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Shiloh Baptist Church. Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Ms. Chestnut was born in Brooklyn, New York, during a snowstorm. She, her siblings and mother moved to metro Atlanta in the 1970s. At A.D. Williams Elementary, she befriended Clay Neal, among others. Both are 1987 graduates of Douglass High.

"Her personality was the best," said Mr. Neal of Dacula. "She was happy-go-lucky. A lot of people never get to know anybody like Joi. Her death has been shocking."

Ms. Chestnut got her first job while she was a high school senior. She and a group of friends worked at Six Flags Over Georgia for a number of years.

"That job at Six Flags was one of her favorite jobs, believe it or not," said her sister, Jodie Chestnut Horton of Atlanta. "They had a blast."

After Six Flags, Ms. Chestnut held various jobs before she worked at Tower Records. It was a perfect employer-employee fit. She loved all types of music, from jazz to R&B and rock-n-roll. Two artists topped her list: Prince and Elton John.

"She's seen both of them perform several times," her sister said. "One time she won tickets off of a radio contest to see Prince. That was a highlight for her. She talked about that concert forever."

Recently, Ms. Chestnut had been diagnosed with ovarian cysts, her sister said, and was to undergo surgery. Some of the Publix shoppers were aware of her condition.

"I would hug her, kiss her on both cheeks, tell her that I loved her and that I was praying for her," Mrs. Wells said. "She was so sweet."

Additional survivors include her mother, Carolyn Chestnut of East Point; a brother, Harold Chestnut Jr. of North Georgia; two other sisters, Pattye Melton of North Carolina; and Tracy Johnson of East Point.