Robert 'Mickey' Hoey

Obituary Robert "Mickey" Hoey, 82, of Beaufort, passed away on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, at Carteret Health Care of Morehead City. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at Live Oak Grove Christian Church in Beaufort, NC. Mickey grew up in NYC during WWII and the early 50s. He worked as a young child to help his mother provide food for the family. He had a shoeshine box and at the age of eight he would visit different establishments to shine mens shoes for a quarter. Oftentimes gaining a big tip if the men wanted to impress their dates (by the way, he still has that shoeshine box). At the age of 10, he handed his shoeshine business over to his younger brother, while he began selling newspapers. He would sell the early edition of two well-known NYC papers the Daily News and The Mirror (which came out the night before around 9 or 10 pm). He would buy 50 copies of each for three cents apiece and sell them for a dime. When he was 15, he worked in a spice factory that ground all kinds of spices. His job was to be on the platform above a big grinding machine and empty heavy burlap bags full of the raw spices into the hopper. Once, when he was working on loading raw cinnamon sticks (by the way, there was no sorting out of any foreign objects), he was covered in cinnamon dust. Well, when he was commuting back home on the train, everyone was looking to see who had cinnamon buns or coffee cake. He thought that was a hoot. He worked as a painter, an exterminator, and a Singer Sewing Machine salesman/repairman. Needless to say, he was a jack of all trades, but he was most proud of his career working for the New York City Transit Authority. When he was 38, he sought employment with the City of New York as a MaBSTOA employee. During his 26 years of employment, he rose up through the ranks from a Bus Cleaner to Director of Revenue Maintenance, which was his title when he retired. He was a dependable and trustworthy employee, fair to those he supervised and accountable to those he reported to. He made lasting friendships with all those who knew him, and they respected his insight and suggestions on getting jobs accomplished. He was thankful he could retire here in Beaufort, a town he loved to call home. He felt blessed to be a part of this small community with friendly neighbors. Best of all, he loved to buy his lottery tickets and "scratchies." Everyone in Carteret County who saw his "Flower" (a 2002 Thunderbird) knew they would see him scratching his tickets. And he would smile and tell them when he had a winner. He was the kindest, most generous man and loving husband who provided unconditional love for his wife, Barbara. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Barbara, of the home; a son Robert Hoey of Florida; three grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Alice Hoey, of New York; a niece Robin Hoey, of New York and a great-nephew Aiden Hoey, also of New York. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bobby and Margaret Hoey; brother John Hoey, of New York; and nephew Johnny Hoey of Florida Condolences and life tributes may be sent to the family at www.noefs.org Arrangements by Noe Funeral Service, Inc. of Beaufort, NC. Services Memorial Service Wednesday July 26, 2023 11:00 AM Live Oak Grove Christian Church (Beaufort)