Ben Steelman StarNews Correspondent Friends, family and fans are mourning John C. Golden Jr., a dashing guitarist, singer and storyteller who entertained Wilmington audiences for decades. Golden, 79, died Friday, Jan. 29, after what family members described as a long battle with cancer. A Wilmington resident since 1977, Golden spent a career as a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, retiring in 1997 as chief of geotechnical services for the Corps Wilmington office. His second life, however, was as a folk singer and folklorist, performing widely through Southeastern North Carolina. He s been a real presence in the arts community and the music community here for ages, said Tony Rivenbark, executive director of the Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts.