ROBYN WADE
Robyn Wade was the youngest of two children born to Wade Jr. and Geraldine Durham of Mount Olive.
Robyn was a 1998 graduate of Southern Wayne Senior High School, and received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in English literature and journalism from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Robyn had been married to Larry for almost 14 years, and to that union is their 14-year-old son, Nile, and 10-year-old daughter, Kaya.
Robyn began her radio career in Wayne County at the tender age of 16, after attending North Carolina Governors School East, where her interest was sparked in the Laurinburg College studios.
She returned to Wayne County, and began working part-time with WOKN FM 102.3.
After high school graduation, she worked for WQMG in Greensboro, where she hosted the top morning show for a number of years with another Wayne County native, B.J. Murphy, aka Dan Williamson, while completing her undergraduate studies.
After graduation, Robyn went to work for WAMO in Pittsburgh, Pa., where she co-hosted the morning show. Promoted quickly, Robyn began a syndicated feature entitled "Money Smarts" that aired daily on 300 stations across the United States.
Years later, Robyn returned to North Carolina to her ailing grandparents, and worked in Raleigh at WQOK as the morning co-host for several years until their health failed and both passed away.
Robyn was then offered a position in Dallas, Texas, to do the midday show on KRNB, following the popular morning man, Tom Joyner, where his syndicated show for ABC was based.
Years later, Robyn joined her fiancé (now husband), Larry, in Atlanta, where she worked for Cox Communications at K104 WALR with greats like Clark Howard, Neil Bortz and others.
In 2006, Robyn and her family moved back to North Carolina to assist her aging parents, and she began working part-time with Curtis Media while she taught third grade at North Drive Elementary.
When the opportunity presented itself for Robyn to return to broadcasting full time, she jumped on the position and became the news director for the Curtis Media cluster in eastern North Carolina, where she remained for seven years until this past May.
She had since launched a local monthly magazine publication, "The Gospel of Wayne County," which unites churches across Wayne County and shares news content and issues not often covered in typical mediums of the media, although it directly affects the readers, their families and communities.
Robyn was an active member of the community, and was often asked to serve in various capacities. Robyn was appointed by the Wayne County Commissioners to serve on a board to select the candidate to replace a retiring board of education member.
Last year, she served on the Golden Leaf review board to make a $2 million grant award by recommending worthy projects intended to improve the quality of life for people in Wayne County.
Robyn had 28-plus years under her belt in an industry that had taken her all over the world and placed her in the presence of celebrities and experts in all walks of life.
The funeral will take place at Bear Creek Association Headquarters at noon Saturday.
Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. to noon.
Burial will take place in Hooks Grove Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Pikeville, N.C.
Visitation will be at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wade Durham Jr. and Mr. Larry Harvey.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the scholarship fund for Nile and Kaya Harvey at Wells Fargo.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on March 11, 2016 1:49 PM