Community Corner

Employees Remember Generous Joe

Generous Joe's Deli owner, Joe Natoli, Sr. died on Monday night, but his deeds and memory live in the hearts of those who knew him.

“Joe was a real special part of Greenbelt,” Bryan Robinson said of his former boss, Joe Natoli, Sr.

Robinson had dropped by Generous Joe’s Deli Tuesday night, one of many who have been dropping by since Natoli, Sr. died Monday night at 5 p.m. following a massive stroke that left him in a coma.

Isaiah Fields, who has been working at Generous Joe’s Deli for a year said that since Joe got sick the place had been packed with people dropping by to inquire about him. "He was a Greenbelt celebrity," Fields said.

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“He looked after you, like you were family,” Robinson added, saying if you got into trouble he would back you.

Robinson started to leave with his food order, and Fields took up the conversation about Joe. His memories stopped Robinson in the doorway, lingering to hear more.

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“We’re all going to miss his sayings,” Fields said, recalling how when he asked Joe how he was doing, he would answer, “50 – 50.” When Joe rang up fries, or other orders, he had another saying — he'd tell you it was $1 million, Fields said.

From the doorway Robinson finally left with his food but not without calling out one more recollection. He said that Joe was fair and generous. “Of course he was generous with the food. But he was generous from the heart,” Robinson said.

Fields agreed and started talking about how “Golden” had never had a problem giving away food. Explaining that Golden was a nickname for Joe, he told a story about two young girls who came in and only had enough money to share fries between them, so Joe threw in a pizza for free.

That kind of thing happened all the time, Fields recalled and said that Joe was always giving children and teenagers free food. 

Brian Southerland who’d been busy working at the counter chimed in, “There’s not may people like that anymore,” he said. “He’s the original Generous Joe.”

Southerland and Fields said of Joe, who opened the deli in 1966, that he would have been 90 next year.

Southerland added that even though he was retired, he still came in all the time. “He couldn’t stay away from us. He had to be here,” Southerland said.

Judging by the non-stop recollections, with one person tagging off another’s memory at every opportunity, Generous Joe is still not staying away.  


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