CHASTEEN, Fredrick Joel
Frederick Joel "Joel" Chasteen. Joel passed away on April 17, 2024, after waging a longterm battle against Multiple Myeloma and heart disease. Joel was born and raised in Griffin, Georgia, where both his father and mother worked in a textile mill. Joel graduated with honors from Griffin High School in 1964, where he was co-captain of the basketball team and a member of the Beta and Key clubs.
Joel was predeceased in death by his parents, Melvin Chasteen and Sara Waits Chasteen; and his brother, Danny Chasteen. He is survived by his loving spouse, (Sallie H. Chasteen) of 46 years; two sons, Michael and his wife, Anna, Stephen and his wife, Sally; and five grandchildren who are the joy of his life: Mark, Colin, Emma, Harper, and Lucy.
After graduating from Griffin High School, Joel enrolled at Georgia Tech and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Textiles, in June 1968. While at Georgia Tech, Joel joined Pi Kappa Alpha social fraternity and served as a representative in student government. Joel was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army upon graduation as a ROTC graduate. He later achieved the rank of Captain and served in El Paso Texas, Germany, and Vietnam. After being discharged from the Army in 1972, Joel was admitted into graduate school at Georgia Tech and received his Master of Science degree in Industrial Management from the Management College in 1973.
After receiving his master's degree, Joel joined C&S Bank which later became NationsBank and Bank of America. Joel worked at the Bank for 25 years and became president and senior operating officer of several non-bank subsidiaries including commercial finance and consumer finance businesses. Included among these were C&S Equipment Financing and Leasing, C&S Family Credit, NationsCredit Consumer Finance, and NationsCredit Commercial Corporation. After leaving the Bank, Joel founded Empire Capital, LLC, which focused on capital raising and M&A advisory services for small and mid-market companies. After winding down Empire Capital, Joel joined non-profit Global Health Action as CFO and senior administrative officer for five years where he was able to refinance the company's debt, upgrade IT systems, and simplify the multi-currency accounting systems.
Joel was a lifelong student and loved to read, particularly the morning newspapers from the New York Times and the Wall St. Journal. At the age of 59, he again entered graduate school at GA Tech and received his M.S. in International Affairs after a two-year program. He found inspiration and motivation from the interactions with his classmates as well as his professors; all of whom were younger than him.
Joel was an active member of Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church and served as a member of the Board of Trustees and as Chairman and member of the Finance Committee.
Working at C&S Bank created a double benefit for Joel. In addition to providing a platform for a rewarding career, Joel met and later married the "Love of his Life", Sallie. Sallie was his best friend and confidant as they enjoyed the adventures of life together raising their two sons. Joel enjoyed traveling with Sallie, spending time together in the mountains, and dragging her to Georgia Tech basketball games. Together they had a wonderful family life as the sons grew up, married, and had children of their own.
Becoming a grandparent was a highlight of Joel's life. He became "PopPop" to Mark, Colin, Emma, Harper, and Lucy and loved every minute he was around them as did the grandchildren. He especially loved to watch them participate in their sports activities, and he enjoyed shooting baskets, playing ping-pong, and throwing the ball around with them. Spending time with his family brought him ultimate joy, and Joel's positive spirit and loving nature will be truly missed by his friends and family.
In his free time, Joel loved playing golf with his sons and his buddies at Big Canoe. He was a longtime Georgia Tech basketball season ticket holder and diehard Yellow Jacket!
Joel's Memorial Service will be held at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church (1660 North Decatur Rd., Atlanta, GA 30307) on Sunday April 28, at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to:
Emory Winship Cancer Institute,
Multiple Myeloma Fund
1440 Clifton Rd., Suite 170, Atlanta, GA 30322 https://together.emory.edu/give/to/patient-care-and-community-health/winship-cancer-institute?q=multiple+myeloma
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation www.themmrf.org
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