Get to Know: Joey Vick

Pastor, Living Light Church, Coroner of Walker County

Words by Thomas Ingle | Images by Justin Hunter

Through his multiple careers and numerous titles, one thing is true: Joey Vick cares.

A native of Hammond, Indiana, Joey grew up in Carbon Hill and graduated from Carbon Hill High School in 1977. Today, he serves in multiple capacities as Walker County Coroner and pastor at Living Light Church.

Prior to becoming Coroner, Joey was in law enforcement for 20 years. He began working for the Carbon Hill Police Department in 1984. After a couple of years, he went to the police academy to gain instruction on becoming a better law enforcement officer. He worked for six years at the Jasper Police Department before working at the Walker County Sheriff’s Department in his last years of law enforcement.

“I worked three years with the narcotic enforcement team, then I transferred over to patrol for like a year,” Joey said. “Then I was an investigator with the sheriff’s department for the last seven years of my career.”

Joey served as a Pastor at Nauvoo Church of God until he began pastoring at Living Light Church in 2018.

“I thought I had reached my peak where I was at. Nothing was wrong. The church was doing great, but I felt a nudge to appeal to the leading of the Spirit to come here,” Joey said. 

Joey has served as coroner on and off since 2003. As coroner, Joey has the responsibility to determine the cause of death in every situation he is called to; in these instances, he determines if the death is natural or unnatural. He also performs toxicology reports to send off to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for analysis and orders autopsies when necessary.

Even though the job is part-time, Joey is on call 24 hours, 7 seven days a week. And though he never dreamed his position would turn into a 20-year career, Joey says that “God had different plans.”

“The coroner’s office has actually become a part of my ministry,” he says.

No matter the form of service, Vick sees his job as an opportunity to spread the Gospel. In his law enforcement career, he cared about his community, whether serving the city or serving the county. In his pastoral ministry, he cares about his flock and those who are lost. Finally, as coroner, he cares about the families of the deceased by letting them know everything will be okay and by being there for them in their greatest time of need. 

“It has been a pleasure to serve the citizens of Walker County for over half of my life,” Joey said. 78