ANDREAS BUTLER
DEEP FOCUS NEWS
Jessie Corbitt was a retired entrepreneur, cab driver, builder and construction worker.
Corbitt was born on May 5, 1919 in Abbeyville, Alabama. He passed away on Dec. 9, 2021 at the age of 102. His cab business, Lucky Star Cabs ran up and down the streets of Daytona from 1946 to 1994. He also was friends with Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Bethune-Cookman University’s founder.
Photos By: Duane C. Fernandez Sr. / Hardnotts Photography L.L.C.
Corbitt said, "Dr. Bethune encouraged him to go back to school and he enrolled in night school. Another proud moment in his life was seeing Jackie Robinson play." Robinson broke the color barrier in Minor League Baseball in Daytona, a year before he did it with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the Majors. Before coming to Daytona, Corbitt was building in Pensacola, Florida (1942-1945) and Alabama. He also worked in a sawmill in Alabama.
He was a member of New St. James Missionary Baptist Church, where he served in the past as a deacon. Corbitt was preceded in death by his wife, Catherine, who passed away in 2010, and his parents, Virgil and Lizzie Corbitt.
Survivors include his son, Charlie (Brenda); daughter, Loretta; nieces, nephews and cousins.