John Tunnell ‘birthday parade’ caused traffic tie-up

When John Tunnell observed his 90th birthday in December 2020, his family and friends chose to forgo the traditional social gathering, due largely to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Instead, they organized a drive-by birthday celebration parade for folks to motor by the Tunnell house in the Promise Land’ section of Morehead City, N.C., and wish John a “happy birthday” from their vehicles.

 Annabel Morris, a granddaughter, contacted longtime family friend Frank Timberlake, who lives near Zebulon in Wake County, to ask for his assistance and participation. “Do you think we can do it, get enough cars?” she asked. 

“Yeah, we can make it work,” he replied. “The day came, and we had a traffic jam. Cars were backed up for several blocks, all the way from 17th Street to 23rd, where the high-rise bridge goes over to Atlantic Beach. We stopped counting after 150 vehicles.”

 

At the time, Timberlake told The Carteret News-Times: “People could fill an arena to pay tribute to John Tunnell.” 

Yes indeed. John Tunnell is a rock star within Carteret County.

John Tunnell (left) and Frank Timberlake

 

Frank Timberlake’s “connection” to John Tunnell is classic. 

Their relationship began about 60 years ago when Frank was a 10-year-old boy spending a summer vacation week with his family at the Oceanana Family Motel in Atlantic Beach, their first ever visit to the Crystal Coast. They came over to Morehead City to enjoy a meal one evening. 

“I volunteered to ‘scout out’ the restaurants and found the Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant,” Frank said. “I walked in, and what did my eyes behold? This man was kissing babies, shaking people’s hands, passing out menus, directing waitresses…and laughter was all about. It was awesome. I thought he must be the most important man in the world.” 

“I walked up to him and I asked: ‘Is this a nice place to eat, with good, fresh seafood? Can we have a table by the water?’” 

“Why yes, young man, this is a great place to eat…fresh, delicious seafood is our specialty. I am pleased to meet you, my friend,” replied John Tunnell. 

Frank waved the family in to meet “his new best friend,” Mr. John Tunnell. 

“This man befriends a 10-year-old boy. Think about that. It just doesn’t happen very often, and I have clung to John’s friendship, nurturing it all these years,” Frank said, adding, “John is one of the most important people in my life. We both agree that money is not wealth; we believe that people are our riches.”

 

“He’s been like a father figure, but even larger, if that makes sense. It’s hard to explain the impact this man has had on my life. I cannot thank him enough. It’s because of John that I have come to treasure the Garners and ‘my Sanitary family,’” Frank said. 

“Every person John meets shares the experience of his instant friendship,” Frank said. “He is so humble, I don’t think he realizes how much he has altered people’s lives.” 

“Or maybe he has…and he’s quietly showing us to strive to be more like John Tunnell.” 

 

Author shares his comments about John Tunnell

Writing John Tunnell’s biography was a “dream project” for author Kenneth Humphrey. What started out in Humphrey’s mind as being a little, 60-page booklet turned out to be a fairly chunky book with four times the page count. 

Interviews may have been like pulling taffy in the beginning, but as John Tunnell warmed up, the stories just kept on flowing. 

In fact, Humphrey had difficulty in getting his manuscript into the barn, so to speak. “Just one more story,” John would say. 

“Having grown up in Morehead City, I lived through many of those stories,” remarked Humphrey, who is “about 10 years John Tunnell’s junior.”

 

Ken Humphrey, a fisher of fish and and fisher of men, women and children.

“John is a most incredible man,” Humphrey said. “He can list his ‘dear friends’...in the THOUSANDS!” 

Humphrey, who considered himself a “regular” at the Sanitary, would alternate visits between “dinner at noon and early supper in the late afternoon. We Southerners don’t do lunch.” 

“Day after day, I observed that people did not go so much to the Sanitary just to ‘eat.’ They went to see, visit with and enjoy John Tunnell,” he said. “Sometimes, John would sit and talk for 30 minutes while the families ate.” 

Humphrey said his research revealed that “70% of the visitors thought John Tunnell owned the place.” 

Bottom line, Humphrey said, is that John Tunnell is “a man for all time…one of the kindest, most wonderful of all people I have ever met or known. 

“I love his statement: ‘I have always been able to find some good, something nice, about every person I ever met.’ The man means it!” 

 

John Tunnell had a ‘system’ to start a conversation

Just like John Tunnell, Lisa Garner started working at the Sanitary Fish Market and Restaurant in Morehead City when she was 15. Each has made the Sanitary “his/her” chosen career…investing one’s heart, body and soul into the business. 

It’s important to point out that John and Lisa are separated in age by a few decades. John, who’s now 92, started at the Sanitary in 1945, working for owners Capt. Ted Garner Sr. and then Ted Garner Jr. These men are Lisa’s grandfather and father, respectively.

 

(Ted Jr. is now 80 and continues to preside over the business, but he has ceded operational control of the restaurant to his children, Lisa and Jeff Garner.) 

Lisa started working at the restaurant as a hostess, prior to going off to college. She recalls having observed John Tunnell “work the crowd,” while functioning as the Sanitary’s maître d’. Lisa studied his style and technique. 

“What a great asset John Tunnell has been to our Garner family business,” Lisa stated. “He has a gift from God to talk to people.” 

“Watching John talk to people is better than anything on television. I often thought I should just pull up a recliner and pop up some popcorn…and just watch and enjoy.” 

“He is our ‘Memory Man,’ and we love him for that. I learned that he has a ‘system.’ John would greet someone by asking: ‘Have you eaten with us before?’ The follow-up was: ‘Where are y’all from?” 

“‘Outside Raleigh’ was never good enough,” Lisa said. “John probed for more specifics. The people might say, ‘Oh, you’ve never heard of the place – Lizard Lick.’” 

“John’s not only been to Lizard Lick, he can tell you how many stoplights they have and who all he’s related to or friends with there.” 

He made North Carolina geography a priority. John and his son, Jonathan, who’s a cook at the Sanitary, had every Monday off. Lisa said Jonathan would drive his father on day trips as “they gallivanted the back roads” of eastern and Piedmont North Carolina. John was continuously building his memory database. 

On more than one occasion, Lisa said she accompanied John Tunnell on an “excursion.” They went to meet John’s kinfolk in Pamlico County, and they’ve walked together through Bayview Cemetery in Morehead City. “He knew about everybody buried there,” she said. 

“That’s not surprising for Morehead City’s ‘Memory Man’ who has never met a stranger,” Lisa Garner said.