DANIEL WHITLEY SR.
Sept. 5, 1920-Feb. 12, 2018
Dan Whitley Sr., 97, Stantonsburg, died Monday, Feb. 12, 2018.
Funeral Friday 1 p.m. Stantonsburg United Methodist Church, followed by visitation. Interment will be in Stantonsburg Cemetery.
He is survived by his son, Dr. Daniel Whitley Jr. and wife, Beki, of Goldsboro; granddaughter, Sarah Whitley of Goldsboro; and grandsons, Dr. Daniel Whitley III and wife, Katharine, of New Bern and William Macon Whitley of Greenville.
Dan was born Sept. 5, 1920, in Wilson County to Robert Macon and Anna Sherard Whitley.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marguerite Waldenmaier Whitley; sisters, Carolyn Barnes, Lois Farmer and Eleanor Shingleton; and brother, Dr. Robert M. Whitley.
His grandfather, Daniel, came from Johnston County to earn his living from the soil, a tradition started by his great-great-great-great-grandfather, John Thitliff, nearly 300 years ago.
From 1948 to 1965, Dan also owned and operated a cotton gin.
He was educated in the public schools of Stantonsburg and Wilson, and received his diploma Dec. 7, 2001, from the state of North Carolina's "Operation Recognition" for World War II veterans whose education was interrupted by the war.
He had served in the United States Army in Europe, and was awarded the Battle Star for Central Europe, in addition to the Victory Medal.
As a civic contribution to his community, he donated the land for a community building and swimming pool.
He was a Boy Scout leader, and coached Pony League baseball.
An active Kiwanian beginning in 1947, he was a past president, and was two-time "Outstanding Kiwanian of the Year."
In Dail-Bell Post No. 265, American Legion, since 1945, he was commander, and continued on into the Local Voiture of the 40&8.
Service to the town of Stantonsburg began in 1960 when he helped organize the Stantonsburg-Moyton Fire Department.
He became mayor in the same year, and had served on the board for two terms.
There had been a special interest in the electrical issues of small towns, and he worked for more than 40 years to assure the best rates for the southern area of Wilson County.
He had been a continuing member of Stantonsburg Development Corp.
A lifelong member of Stantonsburg United Methodist Church, he had held numerous leadership positions under six different pastors.
He had been a member of Joseph Warren Masonic Lodge No. 92 since 1945.
Whitley was a member of the Jamestowne Society, and a major concern for the organization is the location and maintenance of rural cemeteries with historical significance.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture had recognized him as a Century Farm Family Member, and invited him into the Order of First Families of North Carolina.
Memorials are suggested to Stantonsburg United Methodist Church Organ Fund, P.O. Box 6, Stantonsburg, N.C., 27883.
Arrangements by Wilson Memorial Service, 2811 Fieldstream Drive North, Wilson, 252- 237-7171, www.wilsonmemorialservice.com.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on February 14, 2018 8:05 AM