Community leader Dave Quick dies at age 83
By Steve Herring
Published in News on September 16, 2015 1:46 PM
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Dave Quick
Businessman, entrepreneur and longtime civic leader Dave Quick is being remembered today as the "go-to man" when it came to getting something done.
Quick, 83, died at Kitty Askins Hospice Center Monday night.
He is particularly being remembered for his dedication to the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, transportation, the military and planning issues in Goldsboro as well as all of eastern North Carolina.
"Dave was very loyal to the Chamber of Commerce," said Jimmy Edmundson, past chamber board chairman. "He served on about every committee there was. He was very passionate about the chamber and took a lead role in every challenging subject, not just for the chamber, but for all of eastern North Carolina. He was very passionate about transportation.
"He was willing to ask the tough questions. He was an advocate for the Military Affairs Committee. From my perspective if you had a hard questions to ask, Dave was the man that you wanted in your corner."
Quick served on the Chamber's Military Affairs Committee and its Transportation Committee.
"It is a personal loss to me and Wayne County," Edmundson said.
"He was honorable, up-front and a good man," said Jack Best, businessman and former Wayne County commissioner. "He put forth a lot of energy. He was a good fellow."
Best worked some with Quick on the Transportation Committee.
"He had a passion for trains, the railroads and the highways," he said. "He just had a passion for transportation."
Wayne County Planning Board Chairman Mike Aycock said Quick, who served on that board for many years, was always interested in transportation and planning.
Quick, a retired Air Force major, was particularly interested in the relationship between the Planning Board and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, he said.
"He was always involved in business and the community," Aycock said.
Quick was a native of Florence, S.C., who lived in Goldsboro since being stationed at Seymour Johnson in 1965.
Quick listed in the Air Force when he graduated from high school in 1951, becoming a command pilot and communication officer who flew as forward air controller.
While serving in Vietnam, he started a night forward air controller operation in the Delta that grew from one aircraft and one crew chief to an outfit of 10 aircraft, 20 pilots, a navigator and 10 crew chiefs, and earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross.
In his 20-year military career, he flew more 6,000 hours and was recognized for his service with an Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, an Air Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters, a Vietnam Service Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters and the National Defense Service and Good Conduct medals.
After retiring from the Air Force in 1971, Quick first worked for a while at Linde Manufacturing, before moving to Weil Oil Co., which he later purchased.
Weil Oil became Quick Petroleum, the beginnings of Quick's Inc., which included the sales and service of self-service car washes from Virginia to South Carolina and several retail businesses he developed and sold.
In his late 1970s, Quick worked with the U.S. Census Bureau training and supervising enumerators, until a quadruple bypass forced him to stop. At age 80, he trained and tested for a North Carolina broker's license to sell businesses with Sunburst of Raleigh.
He served as deacon, deacon chair, Sunday school teacher, and handicapped ramp builder for Madison Avenue Baptist Church.
He was also an active member of the North Carolina Baptist Men and Women's Disaster Relief organization, helping those in need after natural disasters.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Ingrid Quick; two daughters and their families.
A memorial service with military honors will be held Sunday, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m. at Madison Avenue Baptist Church with Dr. Robert Fulkerson and Dr. Talmage Williams officiating.
Rides on the Kiwanis Club of Goldsboro train at Herman Weil Park will be free on Saturday in his memory. Quick was a long-time member of the club, which earlier named him Kiwanian of the Year and established a scholarship in his honor to cover new member dues.