Born in Charlotte, NC, he moved with his parents to Chapel Hill in 1960. He graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 1975. He attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 1985, incorporating an externship service in Oxnard, CA. He moved to Mt. Pleasant, SC in 1988, where he lived until his death.

He was preceded in death by his father, Joseph S. “Sib” Dorton, Jr. in 1998, and is survived by his mother, Mary Alice Arey Dorton, and brother James Arey Dorton of Chapel Hill, NC; his daughter Shelby Alyssa Dorton, and son Joseph Sibley “Beau” Dorton IV, and their mother Loren S. Dorton of Fort Mill, SC; and nephew James Keefe Dorton of Chapel Hill, NC. An extended family includes an aunt, uncle, several cousins & many, many close friends.

A celebration of his life will be held at 3:00 p.m., Monday, July 23, at Olin T. Binkley Memorial Baptist Church, 1712 Willow Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Memorial contributions may be made to Binkley Memorial Baptist Church or the charity of one’s choice.