Loyal Red Devil Fan Passes
By Bonita Wilborn
“CJ the DJ” is a nickname that most everyone in the Fyffe has heard when referring to Charles Jolley. CJ began in radio as a teenager and it was in his blood from then on. He spent the majority of his adult life working for various radio stations in the northeast Alabama area.
CJ lived in Fyffe and was one of the Fyffe Red Devil’s most loyal fans. “He supported us in everything we did,” Coach Paul Benefield commented. “He was our #1 Red Devil Fan.”
Paul Long, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Fyffe, where CJ was a member, also spoke about him, “CJ was a loyal Fyffe community supporter. He was well known and well liked; you couldn’t “not like” CJ. A lot of people go to the party, but CJ was the party. He always had a good attitude and was always interested in helping people. CJ was good to help me with my fund raising and radio broadcasting.”
CJ Jolley was a long-time member of Antioch Church and while he didn’t attend church every Sunday, according to Long, CJ was always concerned about the church and the people there. “He watched our broadcast on Sunday mornings on the TV,” Long stated. “CJ would always call me and tell me if I was too loud or too quiet. We had a lot of good private conversations about the Lord. Toward the end of his life CJ began to see the things that matter the most. He was always good to help people. He was a good guy.”
CJ was one of our Mountain Valley News Pigskin Predictions pickers. He was always eager to select his picks for the week and would spend countless hours going over his picks to get them just right. Of course, Fyffe was always picked to win, no matter who they were playing.
Long stated, “Anytime CJ was asked about a score or a prediction, it didn’t matter how good or how bad Fyffe was, he always picked Fyffe to win. He loved Alabama football and Fyffe football, but he loved Fyffe so much he would rather Alabama lose and Fyffe win.”
CJ Jolley played a large role in the founding and continuing of the Fyffe UFO Days festival. He worked many hours every year selling advertising, raising funds to help the event be successful, and working at the event’s emcee.
“I considered CJ one of my friends and I’m going to miss him,” Long concluded.
Benefield also stated, “We’ll miss CJ just like we have our other loyal supporters that we’ve lost over the years. Things will never be the same without him.”
Mr. Charles “CJ” or “CJ the DJ” Allison Jolley, age 67 of Fyffe, passed away Wednesday, November 27, 2019. He’s gone, but not forgotten.